Ypsilanti Freighthouse
Parable Path A2Ypsi:
The Infinite Detail of This Place & Time
Virago and The A.W.E. Society
with special guest Apaixonar
A participatory microcinema. A ritual for worlds present in the now.
Using a passage from Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower as a prompt, The A.W.E. Society and Virago will lead you in a meditation on what can be seen when we slow down to look and listen carefully – even in the midst of rapidly changing and crumbling social structures.
Audience members will be invited to participate in a foraging exercise in the area around the Ypsi Freighthouse, collecting city weeds, newspaper scraps, twigs, mushrooms, and other items that will be transformed into simple assemblages. These assemblages will be transformed into immersive projected environments that Virago will use as a visual score, interpreting them into a unique sonic experience on cello, saxophone, violin, and percussion.
In this time of a mass disabling event, further concentrations of wealth, and continued violence against Black people, consider these questions: What worlds are we bringing forth in the now? What new ways of being together and working together will enable mutual survival amidst change? What are we composting? What becomes present when we look and listen carefully together?
“God is Change” – Lauren Oya Olamina (from Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler)
This performance is presented as part of Parable Path A2Ypsi, which celebrates the work of Octavia E. Butler and reflects on the themes of her novel Parable of the Sower, including sustainability, social justice, spiritual freedom, and inclusivity.
Virago
Virago is a new voice in classical music. Marked by intense chemistry and resistance to creative norms, Virago melds free improvisation and contemporary chamber music into a contagious headspace of out-of-the-box expression. This unusually instrumented quartet improvises through collaborations with composers, audience members, visual artists, and musicians across genres, marking the path for the future of chamber music.\
APAIXONAR
Portuguese verb: to impassion , to inflame
“A modular synth exploration into my own Black / Portuguese heritage and beyond.”
Brandon Hill is a multi-instrumentalist and DJ from Grand Rapids, MI – as well as curator of the Starved Relations imprint, releasing experimental and difficult sounds from primarily West Michigan / the Midwest. Apaixonar represents an exploration into the artist’s mixed heritage, as well as personal battles and passions utilizing instruments of the future, drawing heavy influence from classic early electronic and tape works, IDM and rave culture, obsolete 90’s electronics, sci-fi, and a hunger for learning, challenge, and diving into the unknown.
The A.W.E. Society (Area Wilds Exploration Society)
Bridget Quinn is an artist, activist, and experimental urban nature guide who uses participatory and performative methodologies to invite people to reconnect with nearby nature using their senses and imaginations. Under the moniker, The A.W.E. Society, she creates creative ceremonies that invite participants and collaborators to play within the borderlands between nature and culture, between the psyche and the environment–realms that are not distinct, but instead are completely interwoven. Her work is concerned with rediscovering vernacular landscapes as multi-species commons and the sites of reciprocal healing between self, community, and environment.
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