As part of the Clocktower's Clocktower Audio Art Production Studio Program in the summer of 2011, artist Maria Chavez and her collaborator Daniel Neumann spent days and nights wandering the halls and chambers of the Clocktower building with speakers, microphones, cables, turntables, and assorted audio gear. What they captured is represented here in a set of five acoustic portraits colored by Chavez's unique textures, generated from unusual uses of the traditional record turntable and amplified through Neumann's imaginative placement of speakers.
Chavez's work is focused on short solo electro-acoustic sound pieces using a collection of new and broken needles that she calls pencils of sound and a selection of records, which provide the palette. Many of her live sound installations have focused on the paradox of time and the present moment, with many influences stemming from improvisation in contemporary art. Born in Peru, Chavez resides in Brooklyn, New York.
The Clocktower Audio Art Production Studio Program at the Clocktower Gallery is made possible by a project grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State's 62 counties.
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