Composition 20, 2016 - ongoing
Performance with 20 musicians, 20 amplifiers, and 3 songs.

Curated by Cecilia Alemani and presented by High Line Art

Composition 20 builds a field of 20 performing musicians each atop their individual amplifier, uniquely creating 20 scattered sound sources. The musicians are arranged into three bands that play their own composition: two are songs commissioned especially for the High Line and a third was a leftist 80’s punk song in Hebrew.

All three songs have the same musical structure, the same four chords, musical scale, and BPM. At a point in the performance, all three bands play simultaneously. Due to their structural resemblance, a dense - yet not entirely - cacophonous musical field will be composed. As the songs seep into one another, the musicians collective shifting silhouettes form a sculptural composition that compliments the sonic one. For the audience, sound becomes physical as their movement through the field will disassemble and reassemble the songs in a musical mix that is guided by their positioning and location.

Composition 20 featured musicians Rose Blanshei (Prima), Rosana Cabán (Psychic Twin), Genevieve Chapin, Andrew Deutsch (HOME, Time Walk, Disbelief St.), Arone Dyer (Buke and Gase), Christina Files, Cindy Gooden (Very Fresh), Michael White, Monika Heidemann (Heidemann), Alanna Higgins (MOON, Gem Spa), Lola Johnson (Fisty, Quartascope), Emi Kariya (BETS, Evil Daughter), Lilah Larson, Katie Lau (Painted Zeros), Marissa Mazzotta (Circles/Waves), Lindsey-Paige McCloy (Patio), Ava Mendoza (Unnatural Ways), Kristin Mueller, Lindsay A. Powell (Fielded), Sam Blakelock, Sarah Register (Talk Normal), Jessica Segall, Noga Shefi, and Tal Zubalsky.

Photo Credit: Liz Ligon

Composition 21, 2019, Nasher Museum of Art, NC, Composed and performed in collaboration with Maria Albani, shirlette ammons, Blair Coppage, Haylie Fehl, L.A. Fey, Leo Fitzpatrick, Jen Fuh, Elizabeth Hammond, Laura King, Sus Long, Alison Martlew, H.C. McEntire, Reese McHenry, Sinclair Palmer, Kym Register, Nora Rogers, Sarah Strauss, Kamara Thomas, Mara Thomas, Sarah Ward and Jenny Waters.
Photos by J Caldewll. Images courtesy of Nasher Museum of Art

Composition 21, 2017, Prospect .4 New Orleans, Composed and performed by Dana Abbott, KC St. Afford, Jenn Attaway, Jaz Butler, Joy Clark, Eloise Davis, Lynn Drury, Helen Gillet, Wanda Joseph, Meschiya Lake, Gina Marie Leslie, Kelcy Mae, Tiffany Morris, Julie Odell, Sarah Quintana, Tasche de la Rocha, Kathryn Rose, Mayumi Shara, Kei Slaughter, Sarah Strauss, and Boyanna Trayanova.

Photos by J Caldewll. Images courtesy of Prospect 4 New Orleans

Composition 24, 2006 - ongoing
Performance with 24 musicians, 20 amplifiers and 4 songs

Performed at Art Focus 5, curated by Ami Barak and Bernard Blistene, and at the Herzliya Museum of Art, curated by Dalia Levin.

In these performative works, a group of musicians stand on an organized set of amplifiers; each musician stands on a single amplifier and plays a musical element. The overall array of sounds, which combines guitars and singing, splits and swirls between the various musicians; it changes over the course of time, but equally—with the viewer's movement in the space. Beyond the uniqueness of the sound construction in these pieces, these are sophisticated performance works where the musicians, the audience, and the artist are all active participants. (Taken from a text by Hadas Maor)

Musical Production: Ram Orion