The Music That Makes Us
2016Neighborhood music festival and local history archive
Presented at Disjecta, Portland, OR
Collaboration with Emma Colburn, Roz Crews, Emily Fitzgerald, Harrell Fletcher, Lo Moran, Anke Schüettler, Renee Sills, and Kimberly Sutherland
Exhibition curated by Chiara Giovando
About the Project
The Music That Makes Us investigates a neighborhood through its music and emphasizes the value of diverse musical expression within a community. 15 different musicians and music groups from Kenton collaborated with us to create a living history archive of the neighborhood through shared personal artifacts, ephemera, and stories from their musical practice. The project seeks to highlight the broad range of musical experiences in the neighborhood and investigates how those practices intersect. Throughout the duration of the show there were spontaneous band practices in the gallery, group singalongs, dance parties, and a guided audio walk that explored Kenton through field recordings and stories from the participants. The project culminated in a live music festival with dueling stage performances by the musicians featured in the exhibition.
The Music That Makes Us investigates a neighborhood through its music and emphasizes the value of diverse musical expression within a community. 15 different musicians and music groups from Kenton collaborated with us to create a living history archive of the neighborhood through shared personal artifacts, ephemera, and stories from their musical practice. The project seeks to highlight the broad range of musical experiences in the neighborhood and investigates how those practices intersect. Throughout the duration of the show there were spontaneous band practices in the gallery, group singalongs, dance parties, and a guided audio walk that explored Kenton through field recordings and stories from the participants. The project culminated in a live music festival with dueling stage performances by the musicians featured in the exhibition.
Musician Contributors
Zahra Ahmed, De La Salle North Catholic High School Choir, Dorian Neira and Daniel “D.J. Max” Lasuncet, Austin Green, Robin Gordon and the Celebration Tabernacle Ministry of Music, Kenton Brass, Kenton Church Choir, Shirley Meador, The Obo Addy Legacy Project, Peninsula School in collaboration with Caldera, Heather Perkins, André Roberson, Lisa Schonberg, Norman Sylvester, and The World Famous Kenton Club.
Image Credit: Anke Schüttler and Worksited | Graphic Credit: Neil Doshi