improvisationaLU with live art

This is a very delayed reflection, but still fresh in my mind. A couple months ago, Lawrence hosted its second ImprovisationaLU, a festival celebrating improvised arts, primarily music. This year, visual artist Lewis Achenbach did live painting to every set, documenting the music and musicians with abstract and impressionist paintings. This had a huge impact on me as a music journalist. I began to think more about how his documentation of the art was different than mine. His could stand alone, it was left up to interpretation, it still complimented what inspired it well, it was not just a newsy piece that said exactly what happened, and so on. I thought about how music journalism—at least in the mainstream—does not do things. I cannot help but believe that this is the direction music journalism (and other writing about other mediums) should go. What would it look like? I will find out.

mayfly

An exploration of improvisation within various mediums. Simply watch and listen. Download the sounds here. Stay tuned for future releases.

a reflection: no reason

my   mind    doesn’t   want  any

   of    it  , please

it’s   done , content   with

the  basic    nutrients    from

 food     and   liquids   that

     don’t    affect   in   ways

   i do not want

there    is     enough there

to  work  and      create  from

  and    i can   escape without

       the  aid   of    anything

   but   my     mind

        i   let    it     happy

             happen

there     was   no   real  joy

  nor    creativity  from

 them

   only  fabricated

softened

diluted

so   i   waved   away

 materials   that   served

  no    purpose

please, this  is  personal

  and up to  me  only

 but   for    you  it  is

    up  to    you   if  you

      wish

but   recognize  the soul’s

   POWER

john cage research project

It's been a while since I've done a research project and a Powerpoint but I appreciated getting the time to delve into Cage's work, even if it was only a bit. I focused on his breaking down of barriers between what is art and what isn't, as well as between mediums. With his sound, music, writing, visual art, and more, he poured out a creativity that emphasized its own existence and essence. The classifications weren't important, and neither was the creator. Here are the visuals that I used in Powerpoint. Go listen to him, read his work, look at his art, read about him—immerse yourself!

 Happy birthday!!!

With some reels.

Score for "Suite for Toy Piano"

Score for "Fontana Mix"

Score for "Fontana Mix (A Special Female Version)" 

Score for "Sette Quartetti. L'oubli de Métamophoses"

Score for "Empty Words"

"HV2, No. 17N"

"11 Stones"

"Day Six"

the mudd show

Planning for and attending a gallery opening of photographs by me and my classmates was a strange experience. Coming from the live music background, I am very used to creating art for attendees in real time, reacting to myself and collaborators in the moment, as well as the audience. But with the photo gallery, once I took the pictures and chose which ones to display and how, I was done. My current self no longer had the same influence on the photographs and the attendees' perception of them. Also, I didn't feel like watching other people watch my art. It's different when you're not actually making it for them in the moment. So I ate snacks outside with my friend instead.

I was really happy with the turnout though, and putting together my showing as well as seeing and helping others was fascinating. It made me want to photograph and share my visual art more.

give me light

It is not common for me to do art that is not rooted in sound or music. But with these photos—found on my Flickr—I attempted to bring the emotion, improvisation, and general aesthetics of what I do with sonic art into a visual form. This involved me taking the photos in an improvisational manner—emphasizing meaningful movements, attempting to take some shots without going back and trying for something else, and so on. I edited the photos in a similar matter, going with my instincts and seeing where the edits took me rather than having a very specific final product in mind. This project was also attached to music through the subjects of the photographs as well as album art from various music I was listening to around the time of the project.

Think of darkness as a sort of visual silence.