[Mar 6-11] Sabine Gruffat + Paul Geluso: A Kiss of The Earth

A Kiss of the Earth is a responsive three-screen computer-animated video and sound installation inspired by Sergei Diaghilev’s first production of The Rite of Spring. The sound composition is composed entirely of Stravinsky’s score performed digitally to emulate music and sound effects. Utilizing real-time weather data and text messaging as a driver for the animation, this work reconceives the The Rite of Spring as a commentary on a real contemporary sacrifice: the increased exploitation of our planet and its natural resources in the face of economic and political pressure.

Sabine Gruffat + Paul Geluso
Opening: Thu, Mar 6 2014, from 6 to 9pm during SoHo Night
Meet The Artists: Fri, Mar 7, from 5 to 6pm
Installation: Fri, Mar 7 through Tue, Mar 11: noon to 5pm
Admission: FREE

Location:
Harvestworks
596 Broadway, #602 | New York, NY 10012 | Phone: 212-431-1130
Subway: F/M/D/B Broadway/Lafayette, R Prince, 6 Bleeker

This installation runs on a 16 minute loop.

A Kiss of the Earth is a responsive three-screen computer-animated video and sound installation inspired by Sergei Diaghilev’s first production of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. The sound composition is composed entirely of Stravinsky’s score performed digitally to emulate music and sound effects.

Act 1 of this animation utilizes real-time weather and time data from Paris, France (site of the original production of The Rite of Spring) downloaded from the internet as a driver for the animation. For example, when it rains in Paris, it will rain in the animation. In addition, viewers may use a text message to initiate the playback of Act 2, “The Sacrifice”. Visitors to the gallery may send the word “Sacrifice” via text message to a phone number that is posted on the gallery wall. When enough text messages have been sent, Act 2 will play. In the original version, the sacrifice is embodied in the death of a young maiden at the end of an elaborate ritualistic dance.

In this version, the sacrifice has been reconceived as a commentary on a real contemporary sacrifice, the increased exploitation of our planet and its natural resources in the face of economic and political pressure.

The 3D sound design is realized using Paul Geluso’s 3D Sound object, a multi-driver speaker capable of re-producing complex sound radiation characteristics and spatial sound effects. The combination of the multi-directional sound from the speaker, the reflected sounds in the room, and the position of the listener creates an active immersive listening experience. This installation refers to the reconstructed Rite of Spring, with decor & costumes after Nicholas Roerich by Kenneth Archer and choreography after Vaslav Nijinsky by Millicent Hodson.

BIOS

Sabine Gruffat is a digital media artist and filmmaker living and working in North Carolina. Currently she is Assistant Professor of Art at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. Sabine’s films and videos have screened at festivals worldwide including the Image Forum Festival in Japan, The Ann Arbor Film Festival and Migrating Forms in New York. Her feature film I Have Always Been A Dreamer has screened internationally including at the Viennale, MoMA, and The Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival. She has also produced digital media works for public spaces as well as interactive installations that have been shown at the Zolla Lieberman Gallery in Chicago, Art In General, Devotion Gallery, PS1 Contemporary Art Museum, and Hudson Franklin in New York.

Paul Geluso is a New York based sound recordist, engineer, composer, and musician. Working with artists who use sound as a creative medium, he has designed unique sound processing and playback systems as well as composed music and sound scores for live performances and sound installations. His collaborative works have been presented at major art institutions internationally and he has credited on hundreds of commercially released music titles and Film/Video soundtracks. Paul is currently on the full-time Music Technology faculty at New York University in the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions. His primary area of research is 3D audio recording techniques, processing, and playback systems.