A multimedia cello odyssey for Maya Beiser
Artist Erika Harrsch
Cellist Maya Beiser
Producer Beth Morrison and VisionIntoArt
Project Description:
LABYRINTH is made of two conjoined installation concertos for violinist Cornelius (Neil) Dufallo, and cellist Maya Beiser. This work will tightly incorporate sound, costume, lighting design, and projected visuals, with the musicians’ performance through the use of the K-Bow, (a sensor bow that can wirelessly transmit detailed real-time information to a computer). This level of integration was inspired by the concept of solitude within the labyrinth of life; the physical performances will be the sole and direct cause of all that occurs onstage. This 70 minute work will premiere in its full multimedia version at the Krannert Center in 2013, and will be performed in segments as a work in progress over 2011-2013 at California State at Fullerton Strings in the 21st Century Festival, River to River festival in NY, SUNY Fredonia, and the Harare International Festival in Zimbabwe, Africa.
Labyrinthine Touch is a collaboration with Mexican visual artist Erika Harrsch. The costume and set designer for both halves is Andrea Lauer, who designs costumes and sets for interactive performances. This two part work places the soloists as poets in the labyrinth of life; it catches the performers in the moment of self-discovery, the act of self-creation. From the performers first tentative essays, we live within their struggle to comprehend the human condition. The labyrinth is a mysterious enigma and emblem of the modern world in which we can see ourselves as trapped, caught in a web of winding paths from which it is not easy to disentangle. However, every labyrinth offers the possibility to escape, and because of the performer’s control over the bow and certain improvisational elements in the music, each performance will vary in terms of the “answer” or “exit” to the labyrinth of life, enhancing the deeply personal experience for each viewer.
Labyrinthine Touch centers on Maya Beiser’s relationship with a dress whose frame is stretched by strings that can be played. The dress itself will be a 13-foot structure whose visual fabric exists in a variety of formats and itself is a labyrinth: Erika Harrsch will create paintings, drawings, photography, three-dimensional elements, video animation and the creation of a visual living installation for a final multi-level performance on stage. The dress’ different compartments will contain sound memory: different field samples will represent different zones of the woman’s dress and body which can be triggered by the K-Bow’s movement and interaction. Philip Glass has said of Erika’s work: “Erika Harrsch’s video installations play a commanding role in the multidisciplinary performance and create an extraordinary experimentation in visual art merging into the musical realm. Her work simply captures the energy and activity that characterizes the contemporary artists of our time”. Her works have been shown in several biennales worldwide, and have been shown nationally at Diverse Works, Fotofest, and the Whitney Museum.
