Susy Bielak and Fred Schmalz-"The World Inside This One" April 23

Chicago IL

13 April, 2021

6:49 PM

Description

Artist/writers Susy Bielak and Fred Schmalz partner with Eighth Blackbird executive director/pianist Lisa Kaplan and artistic director/percussionist Matthew Duvall for "The World Inside This One," a brand-new streamed multimedia collaboration of music, poetry, image and imagination. Equal parts meditation and evocation, "The World Inside This One" reflects on the past, present, and future lives of our homes and the relationships among the objects within them. "The World Inside This One," will stream live 7 p.m. Friday, April 23 and is part of the 2021 concerts for Eighth Blackbird Presents: The Chicago Artists Workshop (CAW) Part 3 series. "The World Inside This One" features a long poem by Bielak and Schmalz, inspired by the works of Polish-American poet Ceslaw Milosz (1911-2004) and American poet and the New York State Poet Laureate Jean Valentine (1935-2020), plus videos by Bielak and Schmalz depicting tableaus of domestic daily life and ritualistic acts in home and nature. The musical score by Duvall and Kaplan—weaving through the entire piece—will reference works by British musician/composer Aphex Twin (b. 1971) and American composer, music theorist, artist, and philosopher, John Cage (1912-1992), among others. Bielak is a Chicago-based artist, writer, curator and educator whose work centers on experimentation, collaboration and research. Her projects range from large-scale installations to town hall meetings in collaborations ranging from rodeo cowboys to bus drivers, a veteran barbershop quartet, choreographers and engineers. Schmalz is an artist and author of "Action in the Orchards," an exploration of ekphrastic poetry and its possibilities through experiences and encounters, and several chapbooks. He and Bielak are partners in Balas & Wax, an ongoing collaborative art practice using poetry, ethnographic method and multimedia production to create writing, installations, performances and public works. Eighth Blackbird Chicago Artists Workshop Series presents Susy Bielak and Fred Schmalz: "The World Inside This One," a live stream event 7 p.m., Friday, April 23. The event will be staged at the Eighth Blackbird production facility located at 4045 N. Rockwell St. There is also limited in-person seating. Suggested ticket price per household is $20, but options include choosing a price as well as contributing as a supporter. All events include interviews and a Q&A with the artists. For tickets and more information visit https://www.eighthblackbird.org.