On Saturday, October 10th, we will experience a unique and captivating collaboration between two artistic mediums, paint and sound. Cycles is the first event in our Austin Now series, and is offered with presenting partner Big Medium. RSVP Online Here.
Two beloved Austin artists, Joseph Palmer (guitar) and Ryan Runcie (art), have teamed up to create a vivid streaming experience like none other. ACG’s Artistic Director, Joe Williams, asked them ‘What is your experience as an Austin artist today?’ and, twelve weeks later, Cycles is their answer: a collaborative artwork expressing their philosophies of nature, life, and their understanding of each other as artists.
We spoke with these two incredibly talented creatives to better understand their vision:
“This project has been a process of exploration and discovery. We both share a deep fascination with nature and philosophy. These two elements combined with an understanding of each other’s artistic sensibilities guided the direction of the project. The concert doesn’t hold any stark answers, more so reminders of the daily cycles of nature that are often overlooked that weave and overlap our daily lives. Focusing on the cycles of nature suppressed by our ‘blinders of humanity.’” -Ryan Runcie
“At a time when there appears to be such division between people, creating art and embracing the beauty of nature is our response. The appreciation for these things is universal. Music, art, and the love and understanding of nature are essential elements of humanity as well as some of the most powerful forces for dissolving boundaries between people. This experience is an invitation for people to calm the mental noise, be present, take a deep breath, feel the life force in and around you, and join us in an exploration of the cycles of nature.” -Joseph Palmer
The performance itself will be a live streaming experience with Ryan creating physical art while Joseph plays carefully selected music. The two have also created videos to be played as part of the evening. Joseph explains:
“People often become caught in a bubble of their self-made ‘reality’ – and though this is a tendency we all share- the personal opinions, things you believe, and things heard in the media can often influence one’s perception of the world so profoundly that many often fail to grasp the incredible beauty of the world we live in.”
“Over these last few months, Ryan and I have captured numerous moments in our day-to-day lives through video accompanied by recordings I made on Kalimba, mandolin, bass guitar, guitar, bells, as well as the appearance of various household objects-turned-percussion instruments to pull people into our creative reality. In the live performance I’ll be playing pairs of pieces that don’t necessarily go together – together – in a complementary or contrasting way, which parallels the collaboration of painting and music.”
Ryan added:
“The idea was based on showing a slow building process. We wanted to start with a more fragmented and sparse musical texture accompanying the videos. From there, we incorporate more instruments to represent the fullness of nature and the essence of growth.”
We at ACG are so excited to share such profound and intimate art with our community. We hope you join us to witness this uniquely Austin collaboration. RSVP Online Here.