NON:op's immersive platform for virtual performance and participation
volume 3:4
Please Join Us
as we investigate alternative futures
through music, art, poetry, performance, and observation
SHARE. INTERACT. COLLABORATE.
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Welcome to the August 2022 issue of NON:onLINE!
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Listening to Living Fossils
Amanda Love
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Ihave
visited a collection of Metasequoia glyptostroboides or the Dawn
Redwood trees more than 500 times over the last three years. I was
introduced to the species while I was the artist-in-residence at The
Dawes Arboretum, Newark OH (fall 2019-spring 2020). Dawes is home to one
of the largest living ex situ conservation collections of documented,
wild-origin Dawn Redwoods outside of China.
My
first visit to the Dawes collection was in early October 2019 with the
director of Living Collections, Greg Payton. He shared the story of
how these prehistoric trees came to be in the arboretum’s collection. I
was immediately intrigued by their evolution. The earliest fossils date
to over 150 million years. I was curious about how the American and
Chinese biologists worked together to strengthen the species with
different conservation efforts. Mostly, I was captivated by the
characteristics of the trees themselves and began to walk amongst them
daily. Greg had promised that fall was the season to see the most
“action.” He was right. For three years, I returned weekly and often
daily to document the changes that occurred. I was on heightened alert
to unusual weather patterns—fog, snow, rain—as well as different times
of the day because that was when the light and shadows were most
dramatic. I created a visual system to capture images from two vantage
points during each visit. I also have photo-documentation of the ground,
branches, fern-like needles and bark.
What I saw and felt was a family.
Over
time, with regular visits, I became attuned to the trees so much so
that I began to recognize differences in individual trees. The Dawes
collection numbered over 290 Dawn Redwoods during my time as
artist-in-residence. What I saw and felt was a family, with all the
similarities of cousins, sisters, brothers, aunts and uncles. I
subsequently learned that there are in fact 53 different families or
genetic samplings in this plantation of trees. I witnessed the trees
reaching out to other trees that was close by, their branches touching,
perhaps communicating. During late spring through fall, the sounds were
muffled by the fluffy, fern-like needles and branches. During the winter
I could hear sounds from other fields, trees, sounds traveling fast
through the skeletons of trees.
a moment frozen in time
but you know the sound, the smell, the view
 The
sound under foot is fascinating, layers of seasonal falling needles
that are decomposing into a soft carpet softened the sound of footsteps.
The smell of the plantation would change dramatically with the seasons
and sometimes more frequently based on the level of rainfall. One can
smell the needles on the ground. Summer is dry. Spring is wet, lush and
bright. Fall transitions slowly into a dank, dead smell and winter was
crisp—but no sound from the ground. The call of the birds or a wrestling
of a small animal is the loudest, sound making encounter. By comparison
to the quiet, the wild life can be loud. Early spring 2021, I walked
towards the west side of the plantation of trees. It was a wet morning,
having stormed the night before. I noticed that one of the trees had
been hit by lighting. There was a violent scattering of branches in the
neighboring trees—an explosion held in space. There was no sound of the
explosion but as I stood there to take it all in I could hear the crack
and shatter by observing the dismantled branches suspended in space. It
reminded me of a Cornelia Parker installation—a moment frozen in time
but you know the sound, the smell, the view.  |
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Whether
we walk with intention down avenues of stately trees or monolithic
buildings, we are surrounded by layers of sounds. Tuning in to the
soundscape evokes a multitude of personal and cultural memories. A
soundwalk in an urban park like Douglass Park in a western neighborhood
Chicago offers a lush mix of urban and natural sounds. These walks
focused on sound create a connection to a space, to our past
experiences, and connect us via a shared experience.
• • •
Sound and Memory: A Soundwalk in Douglass Park
with Marvin Tate and Christophe Preissing
Friday, August 5, 2022, 6–8pm
Anna and Frederick Douglass Park
1401 S Sacramento Dr, Chicago, IL 60623
• • •
To make a donation to support this work
please visit the SUPPORT page on our website.
If you believe in the work we are doing and would like to donate your time or expertise,
or if you would like to discuss joining our Board, please contact Christophe at non [at] nonopera [dot] org.
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OPPORTUNITIES WITH NON:op
NON:op is growing, and like many organizations coming out of the
pandemic, we are growing with projects, installations, and performances.
It's quite an exciting time for us! Are you savvy about one or more
aspects of running a non-profit? Join our board of directors. Do you
have a passion for planning engaging events and projects? Join our
programming committee. In addition to volunteering and collaborating
with us (contact Christophe at non [at] nonopera [dot] org for more
information), the following openings are available:
Marketing and Administrative Assistant Positions
Working with the Artistic Director and Project Leaders, the Marketing
and Administrative Assistants will be responsible for marketing,
communication, and administrative tasks in support of programming,
engagement, and development initiatives within the larger artistic and
geographic community. The ideal candidates support NON:op's vision, are
passionate about the arts and social justice, and have excellent
organizational and communication skills.
To find out more about NON:op Open Opera Works and our initiatives visit our WEBSITE. The full job description is available HERE.
To apply send your resume/cv, a cover letter summarizing your
experience and how your interests intersect with NON:op's vision, and
names and contact information for two references to non [at] nonopera
[dot] org. • • •
Governing and Programming Board Positions
Do you believe in the work
we are doing? If so, please contact non [at] nonopera [dot] org to find
out how you can support NON:op as a Board member. NON:op is seeking
creative, passionate, and inspired individuals to join our board of
directors in one of the following roles:
Programming Committee
The programming committee meets monthly with the artistic director and
is responsible for supporting current programming and devising and
producing future programming and events.
Governing Committee
The governing committee is responsible for finances, governance, and
legal matters in support of the organization and its programming. The
governing committee meets once per quarter and is joined by members of
the programming committee.
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[ JOIN US FRIDAY ] Sound and Memory Soundwalk
Douglass Park Soundwalk with Marvin Tate and Christophe Preissing
Friday, August 5, 2022, 6–8pm
Anna and Frederick Douglass Park
1401 S Sacramento Dr, Chicago, IL 60623
[meet in front of the community center next to the pool]
Click for more information.
Did
you grow up around Douglass Park? Are you new to the neighborhood? What
do you hear? What do you remember? What is the sound of memory? Does
memory conjure sound or sound evoke memory?
Join North Lawndale childhood resident Marvin Tate (musician, artist,
poet) and Christophe Preissing (sound composer and NON:op's artistic
director) for a soundwalk reflecting on the history of Douglass Park.
How has the sound of the park—and the neighborhood—changed, and how has
it remaed the same? Listen and share your memories of Douglass Park with
other soundwalkers.The Sound of Memory
is one of a series of Soundwalks produced by the Midwest Society of
Acoustic Ecology for the Chicago Park District's annual Night Out in the
Parks program. For more information visit the MSAE website.
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For
disability accommodations, contact Christophe at non [at] nonopera
[dot] org. The Sound and Memory soundwalk is wheelchair accessible and
will have seating mobility assistance. The route is about 7/10 of a mile
and will take about an hour. Dress for walking in temperatures in the
high 70's. Cold water will be provided.
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[ SAVE THE MONTH ] Aural Neighborhoods
Join teaching artists Veronica Anne Salinas and Jeanette Dominguez
in our third comparative neighborhood soundwalks
North Lawndale and the Near West Side
October 1–31, 2022
A Collaboration with Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology
and Chicago Architecture Center
The
economic disparities between different Chicago neighborhoods have been
clearly identified and publicly displayed in community activist and
photographer Tonika Johnson’s Folded Map Project. From
the perspective of sound and the field of acoustics, are these
inequalities also apparent? For example, is the soundscape different in
Lincoln Park vs Englewood; Austin vs the Gold Coast? Aural Neighborhoods
asks visitors to consider the unique architectural and sonic
characteristics of different Chicago neighborhoods. How are they the
same, different, and why? Does economic investment/de-investment affect
the sound of a neighborhood? What are the sonic impacts of economics on
different neighborhoods?
This year, Aural Neighborhoods
invites participants to use listening practices and field recording
techniques to explore and compare the neighborhood and architectural
environments in North Lawndale and the Near West Side. Guided and
self-guided Sound Trails—curated and led by local sound artists Jeanette
Dominguez and Veronica Anne Salinas—will be available throughout
October, with tools and materials on how to listen and what to listen
for available on the OHC2022 app and the NON:op website. The app uses
geolocation to connect participants with sonic points of
interest—including images, photos, and history. Additional information
on the teaching artists, sonic points of interest, background, and how
to document and share your experience will be available on the NON:op
website.
Additionally,
NON:op and MSAE are developing an Aural Neighborhoods community archive
to document the sonic characteristics of different Chicago
neighborhoods. We will encourage participants to document and share
their soundwalk experience and their favorite sound or place with
recordings, words, and images. In this way, both in-person and online
visitors may engage with the neighborhoods while learning about and
listening to the shifting sonic features shaping the North Lawndale and
Near West Side Chicago neighborhoods.
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[ WATCH ] Memoria de Memoria at Burning Man & Live Stream
Memorial Performance for Keith Cooper
and Chicago's nearly 800 homicide victims in 2021Memoria de Memoria by Christophe Preissing
featuring The Adrian Dunn Singers
Saturday, July 23, 7pm
Augustana Lutheran Church of Hyde Park
5500 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago 60608
www.augustanahydepark.org
Memoria de Memoria,
or Memory of the Heart, is an hour-long meditative composition for
twelve voices that remembers Keith Cooper and the other nearly 800
persons killed in Chicago in 2021. The performance features The Adrian Dunn Singers,
who sing the text “memoria de memoria” and speak the names of all 793
homicide victims. As a meditation, audience members are encouraged to
come and go during the performance, to light memorial candles, or to
call out the name of a family member or friend who they wish to
remember.
Jim Schwab, an audience member, wrote about his experience of the performance:
At
first, the music was minimal or even silent. Voices from the
twelve-member Adrian Dunn Singers, spread across the back and sides of
the sanctuary of Augustana Lutheran Church of Hyde Park, simply
announced a date in 2021, beginning on January 1, followed by the names
of specific homicide victims of that day, mostly of gun violence.
Steadily, they moved through the calendar year, each ten seconds in the
score representing one day. ... The weeks and months rolled by with the
haunting music steadily asserting itself, but it was not lyrical. It
sounded incantational, voices from the throat at various pitches as
particular singers chimed in, based on troubadour melodies.
This
music induced, as my wife noted, meditative moods, or in my case, a
growing and palpable sense of the waves of humanity slaughtered on the
city’s streets and elsewhere … For me, it was beyond a feeling of grief;
it was an emotion that encompassed a profound sense of the waste of
human lives, many of which never had the opportunity to contribute their
talents to the city or our nation—just this gulf between what could
have been and what we have become.
To read all of Jim Schwab’s review, visit his blog.
To watch the complete recording of the live-stream, click HERE.
Big
thank you to all of the hard work by Adrian Dunn, The Adrian Dunn
Singers, and conductor Ahmed Al Abaca. Look for information on the next
performance of Memoria de Memoria at this year's Burning Man.
• • •
This performance was supported in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
To make a donation to support this work please visit the SUPPORT page on our website.
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[ EXPERIENCES ] Viral Silence: Portal
PORTAL
is a geolocated augmented reality soundscape app, that enables
participants to activate sound fields and visual poetics, that can be
experienced during a specific window of time via smartphones. For more
information visit the PORTAL webpage.
Viral Silence: Community Portraits in Response to Covid-19
is a statewide collaborative community commissioning and
virtual touring program that captures local experiences
and responses to Covid-19. This second year of programming partners
three new artists and Illinois communities: JoVia Armstrong in
collaboration with Stephan Moore, composers and sound artists, with
Chicago's Austin Neighborhood and Saint Martin's Episcopal Church; Edward Breitweiser with pt.fwd and the McLean County Museum of History;
and X, indigenous futurist, multidisciplinary artist and architect
specializing in land, architectural, and new media installation, to
create a geolocated augmented reality soundscape app.
Creative artists and the cultural sector have been especially adversely affected economically by the pandemic. Viral Silence
strives to address the needs of these accomplished individual artists
and offers hope and support to a wide and diverse audience of viewers
who mourn the closure cultural and performance institutions. The
project's participatory processes and resulting portraits help to heal
and bind communities around memory, loss, and rediscovery.
Viral Silence 2022 Commissioned Artists (left to right): Edward Breitweiser, X, JoVia Armstrong
Free Public Programming Calendar
Trap and Release – May 22, 2022, 1pm
JoVia Armstrong and Stephan Moore
Saint Martin's Episcopal Church, 5710 W Midway Park, Chicago
Live Stream: Experimental Sound Studio
Six Words – June 24, 2022, 7pm
Edward Breitweiser
McLean County Museum of History, 200 N Main Street, Bloomington
Live Stream: Experimental Sound Studio
PORTAL: Augmented Reality Soundscape App - Summer 2022 Release
X
For more information visit our Viral Silence webpage on our website.
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Viral Silence is
partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency
and a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural
Affairs and Special Events.
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Thank You to Our Funders
MacArthur Funds for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation
Thank
you to our newest funder, The Drihaus Foundation. NON:op Open Opera
Workds is honored to receive their generous support of our programs and
mission.
Robert H. and Terri L. Cohn Family Foundation
For the third year in a row, NON:op Open Opera Works has received significant support from the Robert H. and Terri L. Cohn Family Foundation.
We thank them for their generous donation during these difficult times.
Because of funders like the Cohn Family Foundation, NON:op can continue
to produce engaging, participatory, online experiences that expand the
meaning of arts and humanities and provide opportunities for all persons
to participate in the arts.
Illinois Arts Council Agency
Thank you to the Illinois Arts Council Agency for their second year of Artstour support of our Viral Silence: Community Portraits in Response to Covid-19
project. Arts Tour funding pays three artists/teams to create and
present work in partnership with local communities in
Bloomington-Normal, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site/Southern Illinois
University Edwardsville, and Chicago's Austin neighborhood. The in
person and virtual tour will take place in June.
NON:op received an Action Grant from Illinois Humanities to support our SAY THEIR NAMES Project. This funding allows us to continue this important research and support the development of a new database and map.
A big thank you to the Hyde Park and Kenwood Interfaith Council for their support of our SAY THEIR NAMES Project. Our partnership with HPKIC will support community outreach.
• • •
 Board, Volunteer, Intern, and Other OpportunitiesNON:op is
seeking board members, volunteers, interns, participants, assistants,
artists, and all who have creative ideas and who would like to work with
NON:op to implement a shared vision. Please contact Christophe at non [at] nonopera [dot] org if you would like to find out more and join us as we create an alternative future.
• • •
SUPPORT NON:op by purchasing HPSCHD@50 merch!
Also available are Musicircus T-Shirts, John Cage CDs,
HPSCHD@50 buttons, and souvenir programs.
Click here to order and support NON:op and its artists. |
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Thank you for taking care of each other by staying indoors and practicing social distancing.
We hope you and yours are well and staying safe as we work to create an alternative future.
SHARE. INTERACT. COLLABORATE.
Christophe, Bill, Yolanda, Theo, Saba, and all of NON:op's creatives, staff, volunteers, and interns
NON:op is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Please consider supporting NON:op's program initiatives, creatives, and mission with a donation today.
All donations are tax deductible according to federal guidelines. Thank you.
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