Joyous Forms of Address

Southern Exposure Gallery, San Francisco, October 7, 2015

Henry Art Gallery, Seattle April 21, 2016

Invited by artist Michael Swaine to participate in a 24-artist giving, receiving, and performing of event scores for Southern Exposure Gallery, I worked from a score by Sofia Cordova to create an improvisational, crowd-created performance that is best described as JOYOUS FORMS OF ADDRESS, an improvised and impromptu chorus.

Standing before the crowd, I rap-recite a long list of names, people whose recorded or live voices have moved me deeply. I sing-song exhort the crowd to gather in small groups in specific locations in the room. These impromptu choruses then create their own simple song of nomination-incantation, using names offered by each person in the chorus. Sometimes they add movement or rhythm instruments. The choruses build to a loud and joyous chant of admired and cherished spirits.

I re-performed this work at the Henry Art Gallery in Spring 2016 with two of its original participating artists, JIm Melchert (for whom I had written a score), and Michael Swaine.