Artists Justin Allen and Johann Diedrick, along with special guests, present two new sound performances for Heat Waves 2023. Working in dialogue with Ash Arder’s Whoop House, both artists re-frame the sculpture as a vehicle for the questions: what is music, and how is it made?
Building on his recent work Tap Dance Drum (2023), Justin will equip the sculpture with contact mics and drum and tap dance on and with it, treating it as a percussive instrument, while Johann will collaborate with Whoop House to conjure up a listening room meant to speculate on the oral imaginary through voice and wind.
The performances follow a conversation between artists and technologists Ash Arder, Salome Asega, Alex Nathanson, and Kapish Kishu Singh on the role of infrastructure as a site for culture.
Building on his recent work Tap Dance Drum (2023), Justin will equip the sculpture with contact mics and drum and tap dance on and with it, treating it as a percussive instrument, while Johann will collaborate with Whoop House to conjure up a listening room meant to speculate on the oral imaginary through voice and wind.
The performances follow a conversation between artists and technologists Ash Arder, Salome Asega, Alex Nathanson, and Kapish Kishu Singh on the role of infrastructure as a site for culture.
This event is part of Heat Waves, our annual summer series dedicated to acoustic practices. Heat Waves 2023 brings together artists and audiences to activate and perform on and with Whoop House, a solar-powered sculpture and sound amplification hub developed by Detroit-based artist, DJ, and organizer Ash Arder.
Entry is free, and we welcome all ages and music preferences. Prior registration is recommended but not required.
Entry is free, and we welcome all ages and music preferences. Prior registration is recommended but not required.
About the Artists
Justin Allen is a writer and performer experimenting with dance, video, and sound. He has been commissioned by The Chocolate Factory Theater and The Shed, and held residencies at ISSUE Project Room and the Center for Afrofuturist Studies. His performances have received support from Franklin Furnace, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, and the Jerome Foundation.
Justin received his BA in Literary Studies from Eugene Lang College at The New School, and his MFA in Sculpture from Yale School of Art. His first book, Language Arts, is forthcoming in winter 2024 with Wendy’s Subway.
Justin received his BA in Literary Studies from Eugene Lang College at The New School, and his MFA in Sculpture from Yale School of Art. His first book, Language Arts, is forthcoming in winter 2024 with Wendy’s Subway.
Johann Diedrick is an artist, engineer, and educator who makes listening rooms for encountering new sonic possibilities off the grid. Through his installations, performances, and sculptures, audiences are able to experience the world through sonic encounters. He surfaces resonant histories of past interactions inscribed in material and embedded in space, peeling back vibratory layers to reveal hidden memories and untold stories. He shares his tools and techniques through listening tours, workshops, and open-source hardware/software.
Johann is the founder of A Quiet Life, a sonic engineering and research studio that designs and builds audio-related software and hardware products. He is a 2023-2025 Just Tech fellow and a 2023 Artist in Residence at Abrons Art Center.
Johann is the founder of A Quiet Life, a sonic engineering and research studio that designs and builds audio-related software and hardware products. He is a 2023-2025 Just Tech fellow and a 2023 Artist in Residence at Abrons Art Center.
Series
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