Topia Summer Series Begins
TalkTopia Summer Series begins July 25th, 2008 at 5 pm at Topia Arts Center, 27 Park Street, Adams, MA 01220 Free admission with Sonic Landscapes -- a concert of Visually Interesting Live Electronic Music by Loud Objects, Lesley Flanigan and Natacha Diels followed by a walk on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail and an opportunity to talk with the artists about their workThe Loud Objects (http://www.loudobjects.com) are Kunal Gupta, Katie Shima and Tristan Perich. Live-soldering music circuits atop a ramshackle overhead projector, they slowly modulate the resulting noise by incorporating new microchips and rerouting the amalgamated smokey mess of wires.
Lesley Flanigan (http://www.seseyann.com) is a vocalist and sculptor in New York City. She builds dense layers of noise and music live on stage using the sounds of her voice and Speaker Synth, her lovely speaker feedback array.
Natacha Diels (http://www.ensemblepamplemousse.org) is an NYC-based flautist and composer attempting to create and interpret music in a manner completely non-representational of her instrument. She is currently working on developing an artists' commune in Rome, GA; and on saving the planet from suffocation by plastic.
This combination -- concert -- and -- walk with the chance of talking casually with the artists -- is the first in a monthly series of opportunities to experience culture and nature more actively here in the Berkshires. It is also the first chance this year to check out the raw theater space at Topia Arts Center and find out about all the activity that has been going on behind the scenes and to see the plans for the future.
The new sounds of new electronic music are a lot like sonic landscapes. The Loud Objects bring you right into the heart of electronic music visually by showing you - via the tried and true old-fashioned overhead projector - how sound can be generated by soldering chips that begin to generate noise right before your very eyes and ears. They are truly loud, and we will have some earplugs on hand so your body can ride the roller coaster of sound even if your ears are not used to it.
Lesley Flanigan has made an instrument out of speakers and will artistically blend the sound generated from them with her voice to create dense layers of noise and music. Natacha Diels takes the flute into a whole new frontier with music that will not sound like anything you have heard before. This concert will give you some reference points for appreciating new music, and provides an opportunity to digest the concert experience with a lovely walk along the bike trail that is right behind the theater. If you think of questions, the artists will be right there to ask. In this hurried world, it is nice to take some time out to stroll and reflect on nature and art.
Topia Arts Center is an arts and education center in development in the Northern Berkshires committed to creating culture in a sustainable and socially responsible way. We are working on a green theater design, and see our relationship to the beauty of the natural landscape of the Berkshires as an important aspect of our mission. TalkTopia's opportunity to walk with while talking with the artists is one way we are bringing nature and culture together to create unique quality experiences for audiences to deeply enjoy.
