Downtown Arthouse and Other Electricities present SOUNDS, an experimental showcase of live performances in a parking lot; broadcasted to the world!
SOUNDS is a collaboration curated by Emile Milgrim, founder of Miami-based record label Other Electricities (OE), and Thom Wheeler Castillo, Director of Turn-Based Press (TBP).
SOUNDS showcases members of the Other Electricities’ roster – Dim Past and Fsik Huvnx, artist Patricia Hernandez’s project – the end | Radio, and local electronic mainstays – Bobby Flan and Treasure Teeth.
Two pieces were specifically commissioned for SOUNDS:
First, a Fsik Huvnx composition was commissioned. The result, Fsik Huvnx manipulation of vocal recordings by opera singer, Monica Camafreita. For the second part of the project, the rest of the artists were given loose guidelines as to what their performance could contain – improvisations, studio tracks, field recordings, interactive pieces. We’re still not exactly sure what to expect but if this “dream sequence” by Treasure Teeth is any indication, this event is going to be really interesting!
To get you more details on this avant garde musical art project, we went straight to the source…
Here’s what SOUNDS masterminds, Tom Wheeler Castillo and Emile Pilgrim, had to say:
How did this project come to be?
T. Wheeler Castillo I participated in Art Days 2013, scripting and guiding walking tours of Downtown Miami. When the Art Days committee reviewed the projects and listened to the feedback, there seem to be an overwhelming call for music. The moment Sonja Bogensperger shared that during a meeting, I knew that I wanted to use the Downtown Art House parking lot for a show. I was interested in showcasing some of the thriving local music scene, and was well aware of how Emile was using her label, Other Electricities, as a platform for representing this culture, so I proposed the idea to Emile and we went to work on it.
We invited some of the artists O.E. has put out a release for, including Dim Past and Fsik Huvnx, then invited other acts that fit well with the aesthetic we were interested in hearing ourselves. I also took the opportunity to create ephemeral-one-night-only situations including providing vocal recordings by Monica Camafreita to Fsik Huvnx, and have the end | Radio broadcast a stream of recordings before the bands start that night.
Emile Milgrim Thom and I have known each other since 1998 but have only recently started collaborating on projects. He designed and printed the artwork for Fsik Huvnx’s Sarmoung tape, which OE released in April 2014, so it seemed natural that Fsik Huvnx participate in his idea for this parking lot show. Thom was also one of the biggest local supporters of the Dim Past record we released, so that was a natural fit as well. His idea is to turn the parking lot into a giant amplifier/reverb chamber of sorts, which we’re doing with the help of Rat Bastard’s PA. SOUNDS will be audible not only in the parking lot, but all over the block.
What is Turn-Based Press bringing to the table?
T. Wheeler Castillo Turn-Based Press is a community printshop in the Downtown Art House which I co-Direct with Kathleen Hudspeth. Emile and I have created handmade prints to commemorate SOUNDS, which were made using our facilities. During Art Days we will be hosting S.A.W. (Sequential Artists Workshop) for a workshop at the press on Saturday morning, September 20th, and are featuring some of the artists associated with S.A.W. in a works on paper exhibition. Sign up for the Workshop SOON at turnbasedpress.com, spots are limited!
I noticed David Brieske is also a visual artist. Will he be incorporating visual arts for this performance?
T. Wheeler Castillo David Brieske is Fsik Huvnx and he’s been working on a recordings we gave him of our friend Monica Camafreita, who is a classically trained Opera singer. He’ll be concentrating on a one-off performance of the piece that night, so won’t be providing visuals. However, the aforementioned commemorative, handmade print Emile and I made for the evening will be available for sale.
What other events does T.B.P. and/or O. E. have your hands on throughout the year?
T. Wheeler Castillo Emile and I have been working on a much larger project that will be released in winter of 2015. We’re keeping details under wraps but we’d like to host a time-based event around the project late winter 2015. It’ll have a similar feel as SOUNDS but also have a significant visual/archival component to it. Look out for that! 🙂
Emile Milgrim Besides the aforementioned secret-for-now project Thom and I are working on, Other Electricities has a couple upcoming releases; The final album from UK-based noise-folk band Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love, and a split 7″ from Miami’s Holly Hunt and Ireland’s Slomatics. Both will be released by the end of the year.
Tell us more about Downtown ArtHouse. What events are open to the public beyond Art Days?
T. Wheeler Castillo Downtown Art House houses three artist-run exhibition spaces, including Bas Fisher Invitational, Dimensions Variable, and Turn-Based Press, artists studios, and the Michael Jon Gallery. All of these spaces have opening celebrations with new exhibitions beyond Art Days and these events are posted to our FB page. Look out for all our activity during the Art Season/Art Basel. Turn-Based Press will be hosting its very popular Works on Paper Holiday Sale on December 20th.
All the projects housed in the Art House will also be open during Art Days, during SOUNDS on Saturday the 20th. Downtown Art House will also feature City Magic Bazaar in the parking lot before SOUNDS. And, as previously mentioned, Turn-Based Press is hosting S.A.W. for a workshop the morning of Saturday, September 20th.
SOUNDS is supported by Art Days 2014 View ART DAYS Calendar
Downtown Arthouse is home to various artists and artist-run exhibition spaces including Bas Fisher Invitational, Dimensions Variable, Turn-Based Press, and TM Sisters. Located in Downtown Miami, the space is a cultural hub that offers monthly exhibitions, gatherings, and workshops, as well as houses the private artist studios.
Founded in 2006 in Portland, OR, and currently based in Miami, FL, Other Electricities is a record label releasing work from domestic and international sound artists on a variety of formats. OE’s catalog spans genres from dark folk to minimal ambient, glitch-pop to metal and various styles in between. OE’s releases number in the 30’s with a roster including artists from the U.S. (Portland, Seattle, Nashville, Miami and Chicago), Russia, Spain, UK, South Africa, Italy, Norway and Germany.
2014 marks the third annual Art Days weekend. In this app you will find an Art Days event calendar that features over 170 free events (unless otherwise noted) packed into three fun-filled days. Art Days is a collaboration between the Miami Downtown Development Authority (Miami DDA) and the cultural spaces and artists residing in Downtown Miami. Together, we have ensured that there is something for everyone, including exhibitions, artist projects, walking tours, bike tours, art parties and family programming across a multitude of cultural venues throughout Downtown Miami. Not only this, in 2014 the Miami DDA launched a micro-grant program to support projects created uniquely for Art Days. As a result, Art Days features a wide selection of temporal art projects that explore a variety of creative fields including performance, art, music, dance, art education and more.