$15 General
James Allister Sprangs Turning Towards a Radical Listening is a durational sonic experience in which a poem is written via speech-to-text technology and altered DJ equipment.
GAZR, a poet who has aligned himself with the histories of black music production, shares and manipulates samples from a wide range of recorded conversations with various poets on the topic of becoming. From intimate, challenging, and radically vulnerable sonic fragments a soundscape is quilted, an audience is called to ponder the reflection of a black mirror and a concrete poem is born.
Lead Artist/Performer: James Allister Sprang as GAZR
Lighting: Ryan H. Seelig in collaboration with James Allister Sprang
Sound/Video: Max Bernstein in collaboration with James Allister Sprang
Music Production Assistant: Aon
Producer: Sandra Garner, Lingua Franca Arts
Photo: Maria Baranova
Recorded conversations courtesy of Arielle M. John, Sophia Le Fraga, Raquel Salas Riviera, Sarah Jane Stoner, Safia Elhillo, Meg Onli and Amber Rose Johnson (amongst others).
Special Thanks to Anna Lessasier, Marcus Lateef, Raymond Pinto and Alexandra Tatarsky for their contributions to the development of Turning Towards a Radical Listening.
Turning Towards a Radical Listening has been developed in part during residencies at Shandaken Projects at Storm King, The Fountainhead in Miami and at The Baryshnikov Arts Center, New York, NY and is supported in part by a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant.