Beyond

"You wanted it real
But can you tell me what's real?
There's lights and sounds and stories
Music's just a part"

LCD Soundsystem

Well, Beyond has taken place. It thrived in its moment, and while I'll release audio, video, and maybe other components of it, it will only truly exist in that moment. This term in New Media, we discussed how to create hyperreals and simulations, and in a performance setting, I realized how important that is. Considering it all, I mainly made Beyond a multimedia work (incorporating video, music, sound, poetry, dance, lighting, and more) because I wanted to create worlds for the audience and performers. Baudrillard shares how in the grafted-on universe, there is "multistimulation and multiresponse." Before even reading this part in Simulations, I had thoughts along these lines. To create worlds, you can't always just rely on one type of art. For me, that was music. Yes, it can be so powerful on its own, but to try and reach many observers and bring them to a world, other art can and will play just as huge a role, and for some, even bigger roles. There was a lot going on in Beyond because I and the other people involved wanted to evoke responses within the audience. But those responses could really vary. And they did. It's been amazing hearing how various people have been affected and I know it wouldn't have resonated as much if it was just a concert, just a traditional theater piece, just a video, etc....

We loved creating Beyond for everyone and I cannot express my gratitude enough to everyone involved and everyone who supported me (by going or not). I can't wait to create more for you.