2019
Piano Vibrations (2019) Though the piano is an inanimate object it still has an anatomy constructed and evolved over time with a history of violence rooted in colonization. The piano is made form the bones and shells of animals* and resources stolen from countries not so long ago colonized**. It has been tuned to a temperament (a tuning system) which betrays the physics of the overtone series and has made western ears hear temperaments and scales from around the world as “exotic” or “out of tune.” The piano was invented to promote the beliefs and aesthetics of the Common Practice Period (1650-1900) and white supremacy. In its anatomy it holds on to trauma and continues to be hit and struck to produce tones. Thus, there is a history violence and oppression in the piano’s being reaching back centuries. By allowing vibrators to be placed inside an untuned piano, I attempt to use the instrument without harm in an act of decolonization. *before 1950 ** and still feeling the effects of colonization.
This piece was created in September of 2019 but I'd like to acknowledge that Elizabeth A. Baker has several pieces using vibrators, including for piano from 2017 titled Common Voices and though I came to using vibrators in piano independently of Baker's work, I'd be remised if I didn't acknowledge her piece Common Voices and her bold feminist views surrounding her concepts using vibrators. I'd also like to thank Fivestar for her generous gift of many of the vibrators.
Untitled: red dryer: materials: dryer, record player, flag and pole, nylon tube and housing, slide projector, rope, fabric, tambourine, pieces of 2'x4' nuts, bolts, and nails
“Here are…” series no. 2 tempera on newsprint 18” x 24”
“Here are…” series no. 4 tempera on newsprint 18” x 24”
Title and text reads: THIS IS HOW MANY GERMAN-MEXICAN SAXOPHONE SOLDIERS WERE MADE FROM THE MOMENT OF INCEPTION TO THE MOMENT OF COMPLETION
Duration piece: The amount of toy soldiers that were made was set by the parameters of the deadline.
What I hear when I see Empirical Construction, Istanbul by Julie Mehreta Composed and performed
Untitled: body hair collaboration figuring drawing by my mother, circa 1974, India ink on drawing paper 30”x 24” later added grease pencil by myself in 2019.
I was asked to set the poetry of Kelly Ann O'Rourke's poem "Response to Descartes, Kyger and Bataille" for an Art Song festival at SFSU, I chose to match the referential nature of this poem by finding pop songs whose lyrics had similar meter and strong and weak syllables, then with a little alteration I set the poem in place of the original lyrics and made the accompanying karaoke-style video.
Untitled: covering steel cans in charcoal, Charcoal residue on paper 18”x24” Fayes group show July-August 2019