Rachmaninoff
Redomestication of Art
Los Angeles 2002
The participant had an old upright family piano in her living room. In a visit to learn about her and her home she played an Erik Satie piece. There was great sensitivity in her piano playing and I knew immediately that I wanted to create a piece that gave another existence to her playing.
The drawing device created for her piano allowed different musical pieces to be visually recorded through right and left hand drawings, the paper being changed for each piece. The visual document of the playing is another yet imperfect way to describe the elusive experience of live music. The drawings have their own poetry yet can in no way substitute for the musical compositions in themselves.
The participant valued the process of playing while wearing the device; it made her conscious of her body while playing and created a private performance with the residue of a drawing.
A collection of drawings was made based on the residents’ repertoire.