In this first episode of In Production, EMPAC curator Ashley Ferro-Murray talks with theater maker Annie Saunders, conductor and composer Christopher Rountree, and their collaborators about the making of their EMPAC commissioned work, Rest. This look behind the scenes of the project features source material from research interviews and original music by composer Emma O’Halloran.

Rest interrogates sensory overwhelm, sensory deprivation, hallucinations, and the nature of consciousness. The audience experience is inspired by the idea that our perception of reality depends on agreements and disagreements with other people. ⁣⁣Light and sound are central to the staging of Rest. These elements help to sculpt a performance environment that includes moments of near-silence, music, and field recordings from a diverse set of conversations. Materials include conversations with consciousness experts, people sharing their early sense memories, and reflections on our relationships to our smartphones. The work provides a visceral opportunity to feel and consider what ‘rest’ means to us in the modern world.⁣⁣

The artistic collaborators were in remote residence during fall 2020 to develop an EMPAC-commissioned online iteration of Rest, which will premiere in January 2021.

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Original music for this podcast by Emma O’Halloran.

Collaborators currently working to research and create this multi-platform project include:

Annie Saunders

Christopher Rountree

Emma O'Halloran

Andrew Schneider

Adah Parris

Rita Williams

Rachel Joy Victor

Jackie Zhou

Mike Merchant

James Okumura

Brian Hashimoto

Wild Up:

Jiji, electric guitar;

Jodie Landau, piano, keys, percussion, voice;

Allen Fogle, horn;

Archie Carey, electric bassoon;

Christopher Rountree, artistic director

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https://empac.rpi.edu

http://thisisthewilderness.com/

https://www.wildup.org/