| Q & A with Mark
Brennan Doerries of the Luminescence Project By Kristina Wood 331-4357 | kwood@heraldt.com Herald Times 12/11/2008 Q: What is the Luminescence Project? When and why did it initially begin? A: The Luminescence Project unites people of differing artistic disciplines, not restricted to the arts, to create new forms of multi-sensory and multi-dimensional art. The project has a history of combining vocal music and lights to simulate a synesthetic experience for the audience — one that stimulates the eyes, ears and emotions. The fundamental premise of the project is that classical music should reflect the culture from which it is conceived. Younger audiences do not resonate as strongly as previous generations with classical music performed in stoic concert halls. So the project infuses classical music with video, dynamic lighting, movement and drama to bring the music to a culture that embraces the Wii, TiVo, e-mail, blogging and YouTube. Q: Based on some of the discussion on your Web site, what do you think the current state of choral/classical music is? How about on a local audience/participation level? A: Classical music will never perish; there is something intangible about it that touches our humanity. It is the presentation of classical music that endangers the sustainability of audiences. A new York Times article several years ago championed choral music as the most participated in activity in the country, greater than any sport. Thanks to several studies over the last few decades, compiled by the National Endowment for the Arts, we now understand that this figure is misleading. There are massive demographic gaps, particularly in the post-high school and college-students age group. There are fewer singers now between the ages of 25 and 45 than ever before. Just as there are many reasons for this, the aging of the population, a move away from employer-based ensembles, there are numerous solutions. The Luminescence Project seeks to be a part of the solution, an organization that aims to revitalize choral music by tapping into audiences that desire dynamic and fast-paced artistic experiences of the highest quality that reflect current culture. Q: What are some of the programs the group has come up with, and how do you select their subjects/music? A: Most recently, the Luminescence Project performed a production titled “Ensnaring Hate.” At the center of the production was a staged performance of William Grant Still’s controversial oratorio “And They Lynched Him On A Tree.” The work, set for two choruses, one black and the other white, was conceived in the round, putting the audiences face to face not only with the compelling music, but also with the grieving mother. In Philadelphia, the project’s premiere performance was a show about love, ranging from the erotic and sensual to love that persisted beyond death. The night concluded with Schoenberg’s “Friede auf Erden”; the choir was set against a video screen that portrayed a skyscape of clouds that morphed into different shapes depending on the collections of pitches sung by the chorus. Subjects are the result of finding absorbing music and sometimes the result of a compelling subject. The project strives to be an artistic organization of high quality that is also socially conscious, taking on subjects that others ignore. Q: How have they been received? A: All the productions of the Luminescence Project have been greeted with warm success. There is an audience for this type of multi-sensory and interdisciplinary work. In Philadelphia, the project was picked up by the Philadelphia Fringe Festival and sold out every performance. Even more exciting is the fact that our audiences are usually a mix of ages and races. Some musicians fear that this type of performance dilutes the message of the music. For the project and our audiences, most would agree that our synesthetic performances only heighten the musical experience — sensory overload. Just as important, the performers believe in what they are creating. Most of them trained as classical artists, in music, theater, art and dance, yet they become excited when they fuse their individual contribution with the creativity and talents of other artists. Q: This mix of lights, art and music: How would you describe it, from a sensory standpoint, in terms of today’s generation? A: Today, there are creative specialists who design unique lighting for public spaces ranging from parks to casinos. On television, film and the Internet, music, colors and lighting are combined for advertising purposes; it seems only natural that music, a persuasive medium, and lights could be wed to create an holistic sensory experience. Lights and colors are not new to classical music: Olivier Messiaen used colors and images to compose; Scriabin’s tone poem “Prometheus: Poem of Fire” is scored for orchestra, choir dressed in white and light organ; Schoenberg not only composed the music to his opera “Die gluckliche Hand,” but indicated specific colors and lighting cues that were to be used in conjunction with specific chords and musical motifs. Since the mid-20th century, the tradition of multi-sensory music left the classical realm and became heavily developed in popular music; the Luminescence Project aims to bring this this back to classical music. Q: Why does this weekend’s performances have the title “Dreaming in Darkness”? A: “Dreaming in Darkness” is the title of the first piece of our production, composed by emerging New York City based composer Robinson McClellan. The title and composition refer to the frightening and freeing facets of darkness and the evening. It refers to the fact that there are things that happen under the cover of night and darkness that do not happen during the day in full light. Most music and theater are already performed under the cover of darkness, creating space for our imagination and creativity to emerge and take control of our emotions. “Dreaming in Darkness” takes this notion to a new level, where darkness is not just a cover; it is the germ that sets our imaginations in motion. Works by Scandinavian composers Thomas Jennefelt and Jaakko Mantyjarvi, along with Eric Whitacre and Saint-Saens, complete the program. Q: Who is performing? A: The performers are all students of the school of music and theater department. They are singers, composers, music theorists and musicologists, choral and orchestral conductors, pianists and jazz musicians; the desire for multi-sensory performance crosses all musical genres and boundaries. Q: What do you hope the audience (or passersby) walk away with? A: The lighting designer of the production, Sean Smallman, and I hope the performance will illuminate aspects of the music and light that as individual art forms were not readily visible or audible. We hope that our fusion highlights the topic of darkness and night and that our audience leaves asking questions about how our minds, behavior and emotions change in the evening and in darkness. We hope that as we gather together as performers and audience, we will drop our inhibitions and allow our emotions and imaginations to assume control of us for a short while. Q: How many people where involved bringing this event together? A: Numerous people have been involved with the creation and production of this event, from the 25 musicians, to the tireless team of production staff at the IU Art Museum. When Sean and I proposed this project to the IU Art Museum, without hesitation they were interested and excited about the project and eager to help support us by any means possible. Q: After Friday and Saturday night’s shows, what are the chances it will be presented again (even from an annual standpoint)? A: Sean and I are always open to developing new concepts and hope that opportunities to collaborate with the IU Art Museum will present themselves in the future. The Luminescence Project usually performs two multi-sensory productions a year, fall and spring. Information about past and upcoming performances is on our website: www.luminescenceproject.org. There is broad support in Bloomington and across the country for multi-sensory performances, and we hope to continue to develop projects similar to “Dreaming in Darkness.” Q: What’s next? A: After “Dreaming in Darkness,” I will be speaking at the 2009 Conference on the Humanities and the Arts in January, showing clips of the performance and talking with others about the current state of multi-sensory performance. In addition to being a performance organization, the project also supports research into multi-sensory art; performance and scholarship serve to compliment each other. Watch our Web site for information about upcoming performances and news about possible performances in festivals in major cities. Audiences can also contact us via our Web site to find out ways to support our cause or to simply let us know what you thought of the performance. Rain or snow, the performance will go on. We hope to see a diverse cross-section of the greater Bloomington community at the performance and look forward to hearing your reactions. If you go WHAT: “Dreaming in Darkness,” a performance integrating the light display of the IU Art Museum’s “Light Totem,” choral music performed by an ensemble of IU Jacobs School of Music students, and theatrical movement performed by students from the IU Department of Theatre and Drama. WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday WHERE: IU Art Museum MORE: If there is inclement weather, the performance will be moved inside the IU Art Museum’s Solley Atrium. A reception in the atrium will follow the performance each evening. The museum’s special exhibitions gallery will also be open throughout each evening. HOW MUCH: Free INFO: www.luminescenceproject.org |
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