February 28, 2008
Arts Note 1: McElwee
Van McElwee's back at SLAM with some work, detailed in a note from the famed video artist himself:
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SYNAESTHESIA
Van McElwee and friends
Friday, Feb. 29, 2008 – 7:30 p.m.
St. Louis Art Museum
One Fine Arts Dr.
Tickets: $5, free for NMC members
"The term synaesthesia…refers to patterns that underlie all time-based ideas… the artists and composers in this program approach their work in ways…that go beyond image and sound. They think in terms of form in time; they create gestalts" (Van McElwee).
Multimedia artist Van McElwee's career in experimental video projects span more than 30 years and three continents. Currently professor of Electronic and Photographic Media at Webster University, McElwee's body of work encompasses more than forty video installations and single channel works. McElwee has received The American Film Institute Independent Filmmaker Award; Seven Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts Independent Production Fund; a travel grant from the Government of India and two production grants from Media Arts in Missouri.
Commissioned through New Music Circle's CAMA initiative (which seeks to provide more exposure to local artists), Synaesthesia is a four-part concert of original compositions created by some of St. Louis' most innovative musicians and set to experimental video works by artists Van McElwee, Peter Rose, and Roy Zurick. The Semi-Acoustic Noise Ensemble (S.A.N.E.) will create exotic musical expression during the relentless kinetic energy of The Geosophist’s Tears (Rose) and Zurick’s Stop. Local digital synthesis expert and frequent New Music Circle performer James Hegarty will provide musical accompaniment to
McElwee's hypnotic video work, Vat. New York composer and former St. Louisan Tom Hamilton will showcase a score for McElwee's new film, Aperspectival House. The evening will also feature McElwee's new work, Diagonal Drift, a melting American landscape complete with a toy jazz sound track. The show will climax with the world premier of Wavicle, a video work of pure color created by McElwee specifically for Rich O’Donnell’s percussion genius. For more information, please visit www.newmusiccircle.org.