Series of events bring together distinctive art forms with common thread

"A series of events last week at Harvard’s ArtLab showcased the dynamic, collaborative, and forward-thinking spirit of the arts. The events, which included performances, discussions, and an experiential Soundwalk, gave a behind-the-scenes look at how Harvard is redefining performance as a form of research and creative inquiry.

The series kicked off on Nov. 4 with an intimate Soundwalk through the landscapes of the Cambridge and Allston Harvard campuses, created by current Loeb/ArtLab Fellow Jacek Smolicki. Smolicki is an interdisciplinary artist, designer, and researcher whose work 'explores the critical, existential, and technological dimensions of listening, recording, and archiving across human and more-than-human contexts...'

The Soundwalk concluded at Harvard University’s ArtLab and segued into a live student performance of Annea Lockwood’s “bayou-borne” (2016), performed by the Harvard New Music Ensemble. Starting with a quiet drum and building into an orchestra of percussion, string, and wind instruments, the audience was transported to the bayous surrounding Houston.

The performance was followed by a discussion between Lockwood and Teju Cole, part of the “Composers Talk at ArtLab” series. Annea Lockwood (b. 1939), was recently described by The New York Times as “a composer of insatiable curiosity and a singular ear for the music of the natural world.” Cole is the Gore Vidal Professor of the Practice of Creative Writing in Harvard’s Department of English..." 

Read more from The Gazette here.