The Caged Bird Sings

The Caged Bird Sings - Alfa Art Gallery's Second Year Anniversary

[USPRwire, Wed Jan 27 2010] Exhibition Duration: January 29 - February 17, 2010
Curators: Michiko Mull and Natalie Trainor

Opening Reception: Friday, January 29, 7:30pm - January 30, 7:30pm
Six Musicians. Twenty-Four Hours. ONE VIBRATION


Since January of 2008, Alfa Art Gallery has proudly served the community with a multidisciplinary approach to visual art. By incorporating video, poetry, dance and musical performance, we continually explore past the traditional boundaries of art installation and exhibition. As we excitedly approach our second year, the gallery hopes to continue to challenge the status quo by bridging the gap between various artistic forms.

On Friday, January 29th, 2010, Alfa Art Gallery will celebrate its 2nd Year Anniversary with The Caged Bird Sings, a 24-hour musical extravaganza featuring six musicians whose performances will run continuously from Friday at 7:30pm to Saturday, January 30th at 7:30 pm. Visual artists, choreographed dancers, and performance artists will present collaborative works in conjunction with this performance.

The Caged Bird Sings was first conceived by Michael Durek, a local experimental musician, who was inspired by Albert Einsteins claim that everything in life is a vibration. In his remarkable lifetime, Einstein theorized that everything in the universe emits a unique frequency. These frequencies, or vibrations, do not exist in isolation. Rather, each vibration affects and is affected by every other vibration, even across great distances. The Caged Bird Sings will interpret this concept through a 24 hour musical improvisation of six musicians placed within individual cells. As the musicians respond to each others vibrations, so too will the dancers, visual artists, and performance artists present work in reflection of each other.

Musicians contributing to this event include Robert L. Pepper and Amber Brien of Brooklyn-based experimental music group PAS, Dave Tamura of The Jazz Fakers, Tsubasa Berg, long-time experimental musician Damien Olsen, and Michael Durek himself. Visual artists to display work are Rutgers MFA graduates Anne Percoco, Sarah Granett, Eric Clausen, and Michelle Provenzano, Rutgers BFA student Daniel Pillis, and New York-based artist Ian Trask. Choreographers and dancers participating in this event include Laura McComb and Jilliana Richcrick of And Dancers, Nicole Mahncke and Michelle Puskas of The Nikki Manx Dance Project,