AUTOMATIC (2000)
site specific installation for the Transmissions Festival in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Automatic asks,
what is the difference between our experience of visual and aural information/signs
in public zones? Do visual and aural textures trigger memories and emotions
in a comparable manner when experienced in public? Is all public, non-commercial,
expressive writing (visual or aural) graffiti? Textures built from words found
in the paintings of Raymond Saunders and Jean-Michel Basquiat are the foundation
for this composition. Both painters are well known for creating works that
blur the line between high and low forms. As in hip-hop, SaundersÕ and BasquiatÕs
employment of found objects and graffiti techniques is significant in crafting
a personal sign or tag out of appropriated materials. I cut my teeth (or ears)
on hip-hop and now spend an equal amount of time on opera, soundscapes and
experimental narratives. As such, I have had to ask myself constantly what
it means to make art/music for the streets. Automatic is my most recent answer.