Phantoms, Shadows, and Phenomena Kennedy Lecture Series

On Wednesday April 13th, Adam Putnam gave the first in a series of three artist lectures relating to the Kennedy Museum’s current exhibit: Phantoms, Shadows, and Phenomena.  Putnam’s talk, Threshold Spaces and Landscapes, explored his most recent work, while giving the audience a peak into his influences and obsessions. Putnam’s talk was as sporadic as his work, which included a multitude of digressions and tangents, creating a composite of his artistic past and present.  Putnam explained that his work comes together as he gives into his urges, an explanation for the multitude of mediums that he constantly experimenting with and improving.

Untitled (Portrait), 2009

Courtesy of Meridith Monk

Although Putnam’s work shifts as influences expand and mediums inspire, reoccurring themes and objects seem to nestle themselves within much of his diverse work.  Mirrors, bursts of light, infinite regress, and dark doorways permeate his collection of work that stems from the dark and unknown.  Threshold was circled back to time and time again, as one of Putnam’s obsessions revolves around the idea of inside and outside space.  An example of this confusion between inside and outside is reflected in much of the artist M.C. Escher’s work, which revolves around mind-twisting images combining real and imaginary city and landscapes.  These works relate back to Putnam’s own work which he described as “trying to force things together that don’t belong, or shouldn’t”.

Example of M.C. Escher’s work shown by Putnam

Courtesy of http://www.mcescher.com/

The selection of Putnam’s work displayed at the Kennedy is a series of strange short films that depict the paranormal.  Many of Putnam’s favorite objects are included in the series, as one contains mirrors positioned to form an infinite regress, star bursts of light twinkle eerily in another, and the artist himself is seen facing the camera in a bondage that covers the entirety of his face.  These are the same videos that were the backdrop to Aaron Butler’s performance during “Phantom” by the New Music Ensemble, and have an entirely different feel when they are displayed without accompanying music.  The Kennedy is the first vessel for these films, which Putnam admits to experimenting with far away from his own artistic environment to see how they will be perceived.

Two artists will follow Putnam’s talk, as Victor Vazquez speaks about his work in Mitchell Auditorium on Tuesday May 10th at 6:30 p.m., and Corinne Botz about her own on Thursday May 26th at the Ridges Auditorium at 6:30 p.m.

“Phantom” by the New Music Ensemble

This Thursday, students, community members and faculty gathered at the Kennedy Museum for “Phantom,” an experiment in musical performance by Ohio University’s New Music Ensemble.  The event took place within the exhibit “Phantoms, Shadows, and Phenomena,” the visual backdrop for an immersive multi-media experience.

Musicians placed themselves sporadically throughout the gallery, some even facing the walls to achieve a sound that filled the three-room space.  The audience was invited to walk amongst the musicians, who normally would be unobtainable because of a stage, were closer than an arms distance away and seemed almost vulnerable.

The experience seemed almost as much of a social experiment as musical one as the musicians were equally unaware as the audience as to how the process would work or occur organically. Movement was scarce until gradually members of the audience became confident enough to approach the musicians and circulate past the artwork.  The audience, which was at first scared of the invitation for movement, became controlled by the sound as walking began to take a zombie-like quality that increased speed with volume and stopped completely when the audience intuitively felt the end of the first piece. The music seemed to dictate the behavior of those within the space.

The mood that director Dr. Andrew Trachsel desired for the performance was one in which the audience was just as much apart of the performance as those actually performing. This worked well within the first piece but seemed to diminish as the performances became more dependent on specific areas of the exhibit.

Within one of these stationary pieces, Aaron Butler, a graduate student in percussion, experimented with four triangles in a dark room lit only by projections of eerie short footage depicting paranormal behavior. Pedals were used to control different parameters of the software as Butler placed a microphone closely to the triangles he softly struck.

“The piece is basically an exploitation and exploration of the sound of a triangle. Triangles tend be thought of as a pretty little pointillist accents, but if you get in real close the overtones go on for a really long time and some of the coolest sounds of the triangle are the hardest to hear,” said Butler.

Audience participation was again instated during, “Waiting Room,” in which the musicians were separated from normal sheet music and instead given documentation in the form of circles and dots, which indicated what the musician should do.  Breath was incorporated as well, as the musicians followed the rhythm of their own to keep a pace throughout the piece. Keys, shoes, and even The Post were all used towards the overall composition, as they were shaken, smacked, and ripped.  In the spirit of musical inventiveness an audience member even joined in by playing the unattended gong featured in the center of the room.

In case you missed this musical experiment, come see the Nobrow Music Collective, which features members from the New Music Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and Percussion Ensemble. The event will be free and tonight from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Arts/West.

Symphonic Metamorphosis

This Thursday I took my first escape into the soul styling’s of the Ohio University Wind Ensemble.  Unfamiliar with most concert performance, I expected exactly what the name provided, assuming a cast of purely wind instruments.  To my surprise (or rather correction of assumption) a smattering of percussion was also in attendance and a banjo provided additional surprise.  I didn’t notice this out-of-place instrument immediately, due to as my eyes’ constant attempt to connect each instrument’s sounds to my visual plane.  However, upon noticing its presence, I was still unable to place its sound (which may have been because it was electric).

Before the beginning of each new piece, I was entranced by the customary warm-up.  The melding of instruments sent deep twinges of childhood nostalgia through my veins, although from a point I could not place (most likely too many viewings of Fantasia).  The entire concert was extremely engaging, but I constantly found my gaze shifting to the perimeters of the stage.  It was towards the far reaches that the percussion instruments danced between players as roles continuously shifted for each song.  The xylophone was one of my favorite percussion instruments of the night, and watching the rhythmic movements restored my faith that one of these days I want to learn how to play, or merely twinkle on its keys.

All intricacies of the concert were beautiful, although the most entertaining songs for me were ones featuring the entire ensemble.  I enjoyed being able to visualize all of the musicians at once, instead of just a few gathered at a time.  If you missed the Wind Ensemble on Thursday or perhaps want to experience your own unfamiliar senses of nostalgia, come by the School of Music’s Recital Hall tomorrow to see “Jazz Spoken Here” at 7:30.

Ecosexuals in Love

Former porn star and feminist performance art queen, Annie Sprinkle, arrived in town this weekend with her partner in art and love, Beth Stephens, to spread the word of Sexecology.  The couple started off their weekend in Athens with a visiting artist lecture to give an overview of the sequence of events that connected their lives as well as led to their strong belief in the marriage of sexuality and ecology.

Due to the commodification of love by the tyrant Hallmark, Sprinkle and Stephen’s aim is to create art that expresses the true emotion of love instead of masking it with blatant references to sex or cliché metaphors.  One example of this thesis in action is their project, Extreme Kiss.  The goal is to display affection by a 2-3 hour long kiss that ranges from just Sprinkle and Stephens to encorporating an entire room of active participants.

In addition to this love of love, both women love and lust towards Mother Nature.  On Saturday the two married each other as well as the Appalachian Mountains to form a commitment to environmental protection as a part of their seven-year/seven-chakra art project.  Guests were instructed to wear purple as they bore witness to the union of Sprinkle and Stephens to the surrounding mountains.

(Stephens and Sparkle taken from loveartlab.org)

Unsure of what to expect from such an unorthodox union, I poured over the program to try and detect hints of what events were to transpire during the two-hour event.  What I concocted in my mind, or at least tried to fathom could not prepare me for the interpretive dances pieces and musical numbers put on by both local members of the community and individuals who traveled from as far as California to be with Sparkle and Stephens during their Purple Wedding. The performers, including a band made up of a lion, duck, and elephant, were just as interesting to admire as the audience.  Guests ranged from mildly accented with hues of violet to extravagantly painted faces and elaborate monochromatic costumes.

Breathing exercises conducted by several members of the wedding helped to relax the mind so it could easily interact with the chapel which was decorated organically with natural elements including branches and an assortment of purple-coated pinecones.

Although the ceremony was infused with an air of hilarity and sensual passion, all pieces related to mountain top removal which is continuously destroying our backyard Appalachian Mountains.  Larry Gibson, the concluding speaker and “Keeper of the Mountains” gave an unrehearsed and emotional speech detailing his own feelings relating to the devastation.

Sparkle and Stephens performances could only be seen this weekend however their Sexecology Exhibit filled with their wedding pieces and “eco-erotic” images will be on display at the Kennedy from now untill late January.

Hallowpalooza III: The Hills are Alive!

Wednesday night inside Memorial Auditorium, was the School of Music’s third annual Halloween concert which presence created an enormous line that curved through College Green with a composite of eager students, faculty, residents, and young fairies and monsters decked out for the Halloween-themed occasion.

Due to the massive turnout, the concert was pushed back about 15 minutes, but started with a bang as the curtain opened on the entire OU Orchestra with vocal accompaniment from the Chorale situated in the audience to sing “O Fortuna.”  Steven Huang conducted this piece completely disguised as a nun.

This costume was the first of many as Huang stripped from his habit to reveal a Julie Andrews inspired get-up for the Sound of Music medley which followed the opening act.  Each conductor that followed had a theme for their attire and on-stage persona which matched the song that they were conducting.  “Pirates of the Caribbean” even featured a sword fight between the conductor and a rogue pirate that appeared from offstage.

Although the costumes of the conductors and musicians on stage (the entire strings section were buzzing bees) was very entertaining, my favorite part of the entire concert was “Toccata and Fugue in De Minor” in which the organ narrated a dance that seemed a bit nontraditional.  The performer moved methodically and with a ballerina-like grace as she interacted with her light-up hoola hoop that provided the only illumination on stage.  Although an activity not necessarily attributed with Halloween or classical music, the glowing hoop created an eerie silhouette that gave both a breath-taking and goolish effect.

Hallowpalooza did not forget our other favorite performers as Marching 110 provided the final piece, “Sweeney Todd” with an energy that resonated out of every piece of brass and percussion that lined the aisles of the auditorium.

Visiting Artist Lecture: Christopher Pain

Christopher Pain, photographer of the current exhibit “Asylum: Inside the Closed World of State Mental Hospitals,” presented a lecture on his collection of work last Thursday night at the Kennedy Museum. While walking into the lecture, which was appropriately held in a disconnected theater originally built for the patients of the Ridges, I was filled with an eerie stillness that was instigated by the distant sounds of the Marching 110′s Halloween scores.

The vivid colors and breathless portrayal of a life that has since passed, were my key excitements in attending Pain’s on site lecture. Therefore, I was a bit disappointed when much of his lecture was reserved for the history of the asylums, instead of his artistic process.  The history I soon learned however, was one of the biggest contributions to the initial birth of his six year project.  By learning the intricate floor plans and organized system of sustainable living comprising each asylum, Pain was able to grasp what aspects should be photographed in order to preserve the images in their correct historic context.

(posted from the artist’s website)

The entire lecture was not completely composed of history as Pain did provide details of other inspirations for his large-scale photographs.  I was enthralled specifically by his personal feelings towards the emotional impressions of each asylum he visited.  Many view these historic buildings with limited association, often connecting them to “nightmare, squalor, and abused,” explained Pain.  Through his selected photographs he hopes to shed a positive light on the structures that once were a haven to many in grave mental states. This is explained in more detail in Pain’s project statement that reads,

“Few Americans, however, realize these institutions were once monuments of civic pride, built with noble intentions by leading architects and physicians, who envisioned the asylums as places of refuge, therapy, and healing.”

Pain understands the past of asylums as few others in our current society do.  His final statements within the lecture reflected a call to action as he showed the audience his strong feelings towards the preservation of the buildings that once were meccas for thriving civilian life.

Note: Although Pain’s perspective on the asylums contrasted those of an eerie or unnatural feel, his lecture still seemed to inspire anticipation for the haunting instincts that give one joy in feelings of fright around the Halloween season.  If your desiring a little of the same spirit, come see the third annual Hallowpalooza this Wednesday at 7:30 in Templeton Blackburn Memorial Auditorium.

“Well” by Lisa Kron

Due to an unfortunate behind-my-back-collaboration of my professors to all ironically schedule mid-terms a week after the middle of the term, I was not able to catch the first week of “Well” by Lisa Kron.  Therefore it was tonight that I chose to stroll to the RTV building for the 2nd week premiere, tonight that the ticketing system crashed, and tonight that the lobby of the Forum theater was should to shoulder with eager theater goers.

After a 57 person waiting list and a Price is Right style call into the theater, I was finally seated for the show that’s anticipation only heightened my speculation of its inherent quality.  To be frank, the show sets itself up for attention failure.  The audience is introduced to a set with quarter of a kitschy living room, an older woman asleep on the prominently displayed lazy-boy, and premonitions that the entirety of the play will be a one woman monologue with occasional grunts from the aforementioned older woman stationed in her over sized chair.

My doubts continued further as this play turned into one that I am at best tolerant of: an interactive play.  The main character, Lisa Kron, jabbed at the audience for feedback as the woman in the chair, her mother Ann Kron, attempted to engage the audience with off-handed stories.  I was ready for an hour and 45 minutes of awkward armrest hockey with my fellow seat partners when the interaction turned to tossing mini bags of chips into the now captive audience.

Although cliché to admit that the play took a turn at this early juncture, it was the defining moment where the audience was given the silent que that they could in fact laugh with, and at the characters that were being portrayed on stage.  It is also at this point that other actors were given a role in the story, giving Lisa some interaction, and Ann some entertainment from her perch in the corner of the stage.

The play accelerated uphill as the character’s dynamics began to capture the audience individually as well as melt into each other with a certain odd harmony.  Although there were some heavy topics covered (this production is in fact centered on the idea of wellness and integration) this was mostly done in conjunction with humor that exemplified the subject matter as well as allowed some air of relief to touchy areas.

This “theatrical exploration” as referred to by Lisa, was unlike any play I have seen.  This unconventional experiment gave alternative layers to the actors on stage as they took on multiple roles layered together to skew the line between actor and onstage character.  The best way to describe the sometimes confusing process is to compare it to a conscious dream.  The characters were aware that they were participating in a play just like sometimes you are aware that you are actually confined to the limitations of a dream.

I was thrilled that the play exceeded my expectations as emotions were tugged just as often as laughter was encouraged.  “Well” will play again this Thursday and Friday night at 8pm in the Forum theatre located just a staircase down from the main entrance.  Get there early to avoid the wait list (although the dramatic name calling was worth the extra 10 minute wait).

Visiting Artist Lecture: John Roloff

 

Sea within the land

Land within the sea

Sea within the sea

Land within the land

John Roloff opened his visiting artist lecture with these words projected on his designated screen within the uncommonly cramped quarters of Bentley 132.  Roloff spoke to a packed house of graduate students, faculty, and hoard of undergraduates whose presence probably held little attribution to a murmured mention of promised extra credit points.  A geologist turned artist, Roloff spoke of his sources of inspiration (landscape paintings, the ground beneath our feet) as well as the in-depth process that often goes behind each project that he undertakes.

The specific process of each project was mentioned time and time again as Roloff gave a broad overview of some of his favorite, as well as most highly acclaimed projects.  One in particular had even been displayed in the Smithsonian, a dream circulating through most artist’s most forefront realms of consciousness.

An observer of change both human and organic, Roloff invented a word to describe the alteration of an environment by purely human means.  “Anthroterbation,” a word which could easily fool the most scientifically trained, must dwell in Roloff’s close art sphere, for a simple Google search did not bring up any relative information.  Not even an off-handed Urbandictionary creation appeared after a quick search.  An example Roloff used to demonstrate the meaning of his created word was the relation of Broadway in New York to the Grand Canyon.  The bricks of the first example erode just as the earth from the steep cliffs in the second.  The only difference being the way in which they are changed, the factor that creates their slowly changing demise.

One project in particular I was attracted to was his collaboration and contribution to the Snow Show in Kemi, Finland.  Roloff created a water grid, which reminded me of “Don’t Break the Ice” (a favorite childhood pastime of my own) and filled in this grid with imported branded waters from across the globe.  Each emblem of the branded water was chiseled from the block of ice and back lit with LCD lighting, with an end product that resembled somewhat of a disco era dance floor.

(taken from John Roloff’s personal website)

Although I enjoyed the details of Roloff’s numerous installations, and was quite taken aback by the diligent process of each work, a great deal of the material went right over my head in search of the geology degree that I never received.  Much of Roloff’s work involved incredible amounts of geologic planning and often plays]ed off of his first passion before art became to be the main spotlight.

Listening, if only for an hour, to the inner workings of an extremely talented mind is completely worth the mere minutes of travel time to attend a Visiting Artist Lecture.  Come see the next visiting artist, Christopher Payne, at the Kennedy on the 21st.

Writer’s Harvest

The recent gray weather looming over Athens County has instigated excitement rather then seasonal depression as I approach those activities only associated with the crisp fall air.  The smell of bonfires is gracing my nostrils, hayrides and apple picking are already in full swing, and pumpkin bread seems to be the new menu item in every uptown eatery.  One annual fall event that I hope to add to my fall repertoire is this upcoming, “Writers Harvest,” a local fundraiser and reading organized by the Ohio University’s Program in Creative Writing.

The annual event benefits the Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeastern Ohio by charging a mere five dollars to listen to a selection of works by three talented writers and professors.  The admission helps to distribute surplus food to food pantries, soup kitchens and congregate meal sites in over 200 locations in the surrounding counties.  This year’s benefit line-up is Eric Lemay, Christina Veladota, and Darrell Spencer all of whom have ties to Ohio University as their Alma mater or place of work.

Come support the hungry in our own community this Wednesday at 7:30 in the Baker University Theatre and start your fall off with more than just a warm apple cider.

Swooned by the Bassoon

I am a fan of classical music; I listen to it while studying, doing the dishes, and attempting to lull myself into a peaceful slumber.  I do not in any way however consider myself a classical music connoisseur.  I tend to view this type of music as ambient noise; something to exist in the background while tasks that require more attention exist in the forefront of my mind.  This preconceived notion is what circulated in my mind as I journeyed into “Voices”, a faculty recital headlined by Matthew Morris, Visiting Assistant Bassoon and Music Theory Professor from Baylor University.  I expected an audience comprised of elder School of Music junkies, entertainment to be non-existent, and to be rudely awoken from a trance-like nap by the second Sonata.

Fortunately for me, as well as the musician I am critiquing, this is not the scenario that was written into the reality of last night’s events.  The audience consisted of nearly 90% students and respective peers and I was immediately entertained by Morris’s interjectory quips.  Morris’ bassoon needed a few adjustments after the first set of songs and he improvised this possible awkward occurrence by recounting a short, yet entertaining, history of the instrument unknown by most. “This instrument runs like the Nile,” joked Morris, “water just goes everywhere.”  The audience erupted into unprovoked laughter that I participated in even without a pertinent knowledge of his predicament. (Musical talent is far from my list of perceived abilities).

Morris was wise enough to recognize that his talent was not one that was familiar with the large majority of the audience, and tried to explain bluntly how the instrument is played.  He described the process as, “somewhere between riding a wild mustang and a plow horse.” (Again cue laugh track from the now captive audience).

“Voices”, the recital’s broad category, dealt with not only the voice of the composer, but both the artist and instrument of choice.  These components are the three key elements displayed in any performance, and more particularly this one, which premiered a piece never before heard.

I was completely surprised at how much I enjoyed the music of both the bassoon and accompanying piano even without the luxury of other distractions.  The bassoon’s suave sound relaxed me into submission as the wavy wood paneling comprising the ceiling of Glidden Hall added to the calming effect.  Despite some moderate technical difficulties in the second sonata, I fully embraced my first introduction to the flashy bassoon and its methodically swooning tone.

Visit the Arts for Ohio Calendar to see when and where to catch the next Visiting Artist Recital.