Excerpt from “Spider DJs” by Stefan Helmreich

Tomás Saraceno: Arachnid Orchestra. Jam Sessions Arachnid Orchestra. Jam Sessions, on view from October 23, 2015 to December 20, 2015 at Nanyang Technological University Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore, is a new production by CAST Visiting Artist Tomás Saraceno that … Continued

Matthew Ritchie with collaborators on The Long Count / The Long Game (clockwise from top left: Evan Ziporyn, Aaron Desner, Shara Worden, Bryce Dessner, Kelley Deal, Matthew Ritchie), ICA, Boston, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of the ICA.

Creation myths and the creative process: Matthew Ritchie at MIT

“The project started with a general interest in creation myths”; that is how artist Matthew Ritchie describes the genesis of his multimedia performance piece, The Long Count/ The Long Game. He further explains his approach to such grand narratives began … Continued

An ensemble of singers on stage.
Elena Ruehr, Gretchen Henderson and Roomful of Teeth at Kresge Auditorium, 2014. Photo: L. Barry Hetherington.

Cassandra in the Temples: Ignored prophetess commands attention in Elena Ruehr & Gretchen Henderson’s new opera for Roomful of Teeth

When the gods hand you a gift, they also hand you a whip for self-flagellation, to paraphrase Truman Capote. The Cassandra story typifies the blessing-and-coeval-curse topos. Apollo gives Cassandra the gift of prophecy to seduce her. When she refuses, he … Continued