Today was an experience unlike any other: we visited the studio of composer Jacques Remus. A contemporary composer, Jacques creates music installations that integrate technology, sculpture and performance. His studio is housed in the artists squat “Frigos,” once a meatpacking facility; this hive of creativity now houses dozens of artists. Jacques let us experience first hand one of his creations. He invited students into a ‘performance space’ where their hands and body would control musical accompaniment. Moving their hands and their bodies students created sounds interacting with a motion capture keyboard.
After this studio tour Jacques treated us to a private tour of the Fairground Art Museum. This magical place is home to fairground antiques, carousels, and rides from the 19th century. We were invited to experience these antique games, including a bicycle merry go round from the 1890’s. The carousel was powered by our peddling, and as we moved the ride faster we cheered with delight. Jacques worked with the Fairground Art Museum to re-imagine the sound scores for the many different events and today fifteen computers drive the different visuals. The venue most certainly cast a spell on us!
Late this afternoon we met with Art Historian Anne Catherine Abeccasis at the Pompidou Center. This contemporary art museum located in the center of Paris provided the background for the continuation of our lecture on modern painters. Looking at the paintings of Matisse, Delaney, and Picasso, Anne Catherine rounded out the discussion of the major transformation that took place in the visual arts at the beginning of the 20th century. Her lecture culminated in a discussion of Duchamp’s ready-made "Fountain" and the symbolic role it played in bringing forth the conversation: What is art? What are the essential characteristics of art? And who defines art?
Théâtre de la Ville presented tap sensation Savion Glover's Bare Soundz and we were lucky enough to secure seats to this sold out performance.
No comments:
Post a Comment