LSD Music Gallery

The Lola Shirley David Music Gallery was an evolving performance installation which took place at California Institute of the Arts, from January 22 to January 26, 2018.

 

Painting Dancers: Dana Eitches Damontae Hack Isabel Ivey Juhad Kuri Nadia Muhammad Emara Neymour- Jackson Charlotte Simpson Mira Spremich Henita Telo Nathan Turczan Marimba: Katie Eikam Lights: Omar Madkour Camera: Hayat Hyatt
Movers: Damontae Hack, Nadia Muhammad, Emara Neymour- Jackson, Mira Spremich Sounds: Dana Eitches, Juhad Kuri, Nathan Turczan, James Vitz-Wong Audio Sample: Lola Celeste Ramachandran
Part of Movement III: Expression Live improvised in Sounds of Commoning, Calarts, January 25, 2018 Vocals by Jasmine Gatewood Guitar by Roger Kim Cajon by Gabriel Jimenez with Wesley Hick's River Rocks played by all Video by Melu Waingarten Words by Dana Eitches

Installation photos by Daniel Alcazar

The LSD Music Gallery is where the show, “The Sounds of Commoning” took place. Commoning refers to a collaborative art practice, peer-to-peer production, open space assembly, and technology, an experimental social engagement. Abstract ideas of Shelter, Sustenance, and Expression unfold by example- through choreographed, composed, and improvised sound pieces. Movement I, "Shelter" was in in the form of group painting...where the musical instruments became paint brushes. 8 different instrument, gesture and marks created the composition of the canvas on the floor. This canvas was then pitched onto an A frame tent. The tent became a place where people created music, song, and stillness. Dorit Cypis led a workshop here entitled “Close your eyes so you may see.” Movement II and III, Sustenance and Expression, considered the community value of the potluck. The preparing of the food was a sonic performance which used contact microphones on the knives. These sounds were recorded in real time, then sampled and put on drum and keyboard machines, which were played for the dance component of Movement III, “Expression.”


During the week  John Hawk led a discussion on the Cosmic perspective, and I led watercolor activities and record listening sessions. All other time the space functioned as a space for learning, conversing.  Books on commoning and the cosmos, and various instruments were provided for guests to enjoy while past performances and abstract videos were projected.

I thank my collaborators endlessly, as I could not have done any of this without people who support what I am trying to accomplish.