Sunday, March 13, 2016 – 11:00pm to Thursday, March 24, 2016 – 11:00pm
CHANSON-O-GRAMMES: Beloved Object Edition
A Collaborative Song-Telling project by Krista Muir
A Collaborative Song-Telling project by Krista Muir
Residency: March 14-25, 2016
Final Friday exhibition: March 25, 7-10PM
Canadian performance artist Krista Muir has been creating custom song commissions, Chanson-O-Grammes, for three years. These songs honor family members, romantic interests, close friends, newborns, and on one occasion, a spirit. Muir sends the majority of these pieces to far away places via email, never having met those involved in person. Some songs are romantic, some hilarious–from a few words or phrases, she creates something poignant and unique.
This collaborative song-telling project was sparked by a lyric from a song of hers: “Nothing is sacred unless you make it so.” Often seemingly innocuous objects contain ascribed significance, hidden from view. A ratty old t-shirt that your mother keeps throwing away: a gift from your first love. A tacky little plastic figurine: a lucky talisman you found at the airport before leaving on a life-changing trip. This project will crack these stories open in a playful, reflective, and musical way.
Fisch Haus has invited Muir to be their spring artist-in-residence, as she produces her newest project, Chanson-O-Grammes: Beloved Object Edition. This is an interactive endeavor: Krista needs you to make this work! She is requesting members of the Wichita community to submit a meaningful object along with a brief description. It should definitely be connected to a significant moment or person in your life. The objects will remain at Fisch Haus throughout the duration of her residency, March 14-25th, as Muir gleans inspiration from, and writes songs about, these inanimate yet totally real “friends”. (Remember pet rocks?) On Final Friday, March 25th, the songs will be presented and the bearer/s of the objects will be invited speak about them for 3-5 minutes. In between performances, Fisch Haus will offer visitors a video insight into Krista’s myriad other projects, including her uber-fabulous alter-ego, Lederhosen Lucil.
If you’re interested in participating, please drop off your object at Fisch Haus by the 14th of March, at the latest. Place it in the up-cycled fire extinguisher box marked “mail” in the outside vestibule, and facebook/tweet/email us to let us know that it’s there. Krista would like to compile some specific information about each object, and has therefore put together a very brief question form—we can send these to you by email or snailmail if you have any trouble downloading it from this website.
All the objects will be presented in the gallery on the 25th and then returned to you that evening. If you’re participating, come prepared to speak for a few minutes, and please invite anyone connected to your Beloved Object to come and listen too, so that “it” may fully benefit from this shared song-telling experience!
Krista chose 7 objects when she arrived.
THANK YOU BELOVED OBJECT OWNERS:
Mike Marlett
Kaitlin Parks
Annie Bananie
Anna Blankenship
Elizabeth Stevenson
Arora Schmidt
Darwin Muir
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Krista Muir is a polymath. She has released 7 albums, scored for film/tv/interactive media, toured globally as alter ego Lederhosen Lucil, produced and hosted integrated arts events, and led ukulele workshops. With a focus on music composition, Muir connects via live performance, collaboration, and education.
Big thanks to Emily Bonavia, for providing Krista’s airline tickets, and to Kylie Brown, for inviting Krista into her home for two weeks.
Photo Credits: Roger Aziz