Ishamel Ali’s Archipelago
Richard Syska
We’re back with another night of music on our 16-channel CLEAT speaker system! Every month we host new work from artists working with spatial sounds. This month features a large ensemble helmed by Ishmael Ali and solo work from Richard Syska and Will Soderberg. Join us!
Ishmael Ali’s Archipelago
Archipelago is part performance, part composition, part interactive sound installation. Six musicians will be interspersed throughout the room, performing a partially improvised score. Thesen individual sounds will go through Elastic Art's 16 channel CLEAT system, be manipulated, processed, and joined with electronic sounds and samples via an interactive controller in the center of the room. Attendees are encouraged to interact with this controller, thereby influencing and connecting the isolated performers to the audience as well as each other.
The project aims to explore distance, perspective, and focus while examining the performer - audience relationship. Archipelago is intended to be used as a loose template for future performances led by friends and colleagues.
Ishmael Ali - cello, composition, CLEAT programming
Bill Harris - percussion
Molly Jones - saxophone, flute
Luc Mosley - saxophone
Brianna Tong - voice, fingernails
Ben Zucker - vibraphone, percussion, voice
Richard Syska
Shaken like a leaf in the teeth of glory;
is the premier of a new composition by sound artist Richard Syska, featuring piano-harp,
electronics, marching drum, duct tape, gongs, and maybe more. For this piece Richard focused mainly on exploring electro-acoustic treatments for piano-harp, that were then re-composed expressly for Elastic's CLEAT 16-channel speaker system. By utilizing CLEAT's multiple speakers, Syska is able to create rich, immersive soundscapes that envelop the listener in a vast, swirling wall of sound. His compositions often make use of field recordings, found objects, and other non-traditional sounds which he manipulates and arranges into intricate sonic collages. Syska's work is both highly experimental and highly emotive, and allows him to create a truly dynamic and unique listening experience.
Richard Syska has been a participant in the improvised/experimental music community for more than 20 years. Currently producing films, soundtracks, as well as performance
and general sound exploration.
He also is co-curator, conservator for Group 312 Films, a filmmaker collective that has
existed in Chicago since 2001.
Will Soderberg
Ukronian Séance
This installation functions as an extension of works attempting to re-imagine an unfinished Maryanne Amacher string quartet commission and consulting reference materials and notes from Amacher’s archives as initial prompts. A series of multitrack recordings was created during work with a string quartet comprised of Sam Bradshaw on bass, Hannah Bureau on violin, Jessica Lipon on viola, Kimberly Sutton on cello, with electronic processing of the performances by Will Sōderberg. The building layers of string and electronic sound recordings which were later played back, invoking the group to interact again with the previously recorded sounds with the intention of activating the audience as another instrument.
$15 - Tickets Available at the Door