2020.03.18 Coronavirus/COVID-19 Update
There’s a lot going on in the world right now, but I wanted to share a small update from my end. As you might know, I'm currently in my final semester of my MFA program at Alfred, located in a remote town in western NY. My university recently announced that all classes will be remote for the rest of the semester.
Thankfully, I and my fellow grads are not losing access to our personal studios. (Considering all my personal equipment is there, that comes as a huge relief.) We can continue living and working in this empty husk of a town as we approach the end of our degrees.
Our in-person thesis exhibitions have been cancelled. I have decided to move to an online exhibition format — basically a site to allow viewing of my thesis work online. Although I haven't pursued web-based media as much recently, this is something I luckily have experience with, from working with The Wrong, Gallery T, and others. And in spite of the gravity of the situation, I am excited to be able to present my thesis work in a format that will be even more accessible to people regardless of their geographic location.
In addition to the show, our thesis work will also culminate in the form of a book. I am going ahead with creating and printing my books as I had originally planned. I will be sharing my book freely and openly in digital PDF form, but I also want to offer printed copies for those who want them. I'll be opening up pre-orders for the book in April (they will be made and shipped by May/June).
I am trying to decrease my dependency on certain social media platforms, so as an additional way to keep people in the loop about my activities, I've created a mailing list. In addition to updates about my upcoming online thesis show and book, I'll send occasional updates when I am doing a show or performance.
If you'd like to, feel free to sign up here:
http://palomakop.tv/mailing-list
2020.03.02 Metacognition at Spring/Break
My work is included in Metacognition, an exhibit at the Spring/Break Art Show, curated by Tali Hinkis and Robin Kang. It ran from March 3-9 in NYC.
Metacognition: the awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes. This exhibition surrounds a conversation between a group of artists who employ meditative and repetitive processes to creatively navigate through the dimensional realms of reality. The physical, algorithmic, emotional, virtual, spiritual, and scientific planes are investigated through clever uses of technology and innovative combinations of the material and the digital.
More info at;
springbreakartshow.com/
facebook.com/events/525826231373537/
Press coverage:
observer.com/2020/03/spring-break-art-show-2020-best-booths/
2020.01.07 DECOHERENCE Book
I created a short book to explain some of my process and ideas about a video piece I made using cymatics. The book is a small part of my MFA thesis, and I printed and bound several to share with faculty.
I have also uploaded a PDF version here:
https://palomakop.s3.amazonaws.com/decoherence_book.pdf
2019.12.21 Performance at SOLSTICE
I did a solo a/v set at the opening of SOLSTICE, an exhibition of light art works at Flux Factory, organized and curated by Jonathan Sims. The opening took place on the night of the winter solstice, and the opening was marked by 4 a/v performances by me, Testu Collective, ÉMU (Maria Takeuchi), and Night Shining. The performances and installations of light works complemented each other amazingly and I was thrilled to be a part of it all.
More info can be found at:
fluxfactory.org/event/solstice/
artspiel.org/solstice-at-flux-factory/
2019.09.18 New album: APPALACHIAN VORTEX TOUR
I am very excited to share this album I made with Andrei Jay, titled: APPALACHIAN VORTEX TOUR.
Near the end of summer, we went on a camping road trip through the Appalachians in search of caves, hollows, and other basins of vortex energy in the forests. I brought my field recorder and my shortwave radio and Andrei brought two Volca FM synthesizers, and we recorded a series of jams at various locations along the way. We were able to pick up electromagnetic interference within the shortwave bands from the built-in amplifier circuits in the Volcas, making the radio act as a kind of extra amplifier which added unique distortions and textures. The sounds of the environment also became part of the recordings, so you can hear crickets, running water, wind, other humans, natural reverb of stone and metal, and the spatialized presence of the built-in speakers of the volcas, intertwined with signals drifting in and out from shortwave broadcasts. The album art, a map of the vortexes we toured, was drawn electronically and then plotted with robotic drawing machines here in the expanded media department at Alfred.
Listen on the player below or visit this link:
palomakop.bandcamp.com/album/appalachian-vortex-tour