Under the guidance of Technical Director Abby Aresty, six students in TECH 301 (Sound Art Installations: Design and Construction) recently performed David Tudor’s “Rainforest IV” as a class project. Tudor, a pianist, composer, and renowned figure in the new music community, created “Rainforest IV” during a 1973 workshop in New Hampshire. Born out of a 1968 piece entitled “Rainforest” (originally commissioned by choreographer Merce Cunningham), the part-performance part-installation is a compelling experiment in space and audience interaction. Composers find resonant objects to suspend in the performance space, and then use their own sonic materials to excite the objects.
In a video reflection, student Julia Mills noted, “My friends had a lot of fun in ‘Rainforest IV’ even though this kind of experimental installation is not usually their kind of bag… I know they had a really great experience. They knew I’d worked really hard on it, and I think that kind of motivated them to scope out every object and stay for quite a long time. It was very cool to see them interact and have fun with it.”
The two hour installation and performance took place in TIMARA’s recently renovated gallery space; attendees were encouraged to experience the installation at their own desired pace, wandering and interacting with the resonant objects along the way. – JA
