UW News

May 2, 2013

Arts Roundup: Art, the music of Charles Ives — and privacy goes public with Facebook-fueled ‘Sanctum’

UW News

A passer-by beholds "Sanctum" as it beholds him. The work will remain at the Henry Art Gallery until November 2015.

A passer-by beholds “Sanctum” as it beholds him. The work will remain at the Henry Art Gallery until November 2015.Jones Sanchez

You could walk by the new work of art at the Henry Art Gallery without really noticing it — but it may notice you. “Sanctum” by James Coupe and Juan Pampin leads a busy week in UW arts events as it begins a two-year-plus run. The piece uses Facebook information given with permission to challenge our ideas of privacy and public spaces.

Also, faculty from the Center for Digital and Experimental Media offer an evening of improvised music, the UW World Series brings visitors to campus and the School of Music holds a three-day celebration of the life and work of Charles Ives.

Painting and Drawing BFA Show, April 30 – May 10. A graduation exhibit for students receiving Bachelor of Fine Art degrees from the Painting and Drawing Program, in the Jacob Lawrence Gallery. Gallery hours are normally noon to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday.

Lecture-recital, Stuart Isacoff: “The American Piano,” 7:30 p.m., May 2. Isacoff, a concert pianist, tells the story of the piano as it unfolded both in Europe and in a young America. In Brechemin Auditorium. Tickets are $15, cash or check at the door. 206-685-8384.

School of Music celebrates the music of Charles Ives “A Festival of Ives,” School of Music, May 6-8. A three-day series of events honoring the life and music of Charles Ives with performances, lecture, talks and a master class, all open to the public. Advance notes state Ives has been called “a musical genius, an eccentric dreamer, the father of American music, a great Yankee maverick, fiercely democratic and a difficult crank,” inspiring musicians, listeners and scholars more than a half-century after his death. Ticket prices vary; see schedule online. Highlights include:

  • Orchestral arrangements of Ives songs, as well as music by Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber and Jean Sibelius, by the UW Symphony with guest vocalist William Sharp, 7:30 p.m., May 6, in Meany Hall.
  • Recital by pianist Christina Valdés with faculty artists Melia Watras (viola) and Donna Shin (flute) and readings from essays by Ives and others he inspired, 7:30 p.m., May 7, in Brechemin Auditorium.
  • Concert: Songs and Chamber Music. A concert in two parts with songs by Ives and commentary, 7:30 p.m., May 8, in Brechemin Auditorium.

“Sanctum,” May 4 – Nov. 4, 2015. A new public art work installed on the façade of the Henry Art Gallery by James Coupe and Juan Pampin, associate professors in the Center for Digital Arts and Experimental Media. The two write, “As people approach, they are tracked, analyzed and recorded by surveillance cameras programmed to identify people according to their age and gender. As they get closer, the voices become clearer, telling a story composed from demographically-appropriate Facebook status updates.

“In an era of status updates, Tweets and check-ins, the geography of public, shared spaces needs to be reconsidered, along with our expectations of privacy in them. … ‘Sanctum’ seeks to investigate the narrative potential of social media while raising important and provocative questions about the conflicting imperatives emerging in our culture as we promote and embrace ever-more-intrusive electronic media, while still cherishing traditional notions of privacy.”

Coupe and Pampin invite people to donate their Facebook status updates to the work. Learn more and watch a video at the Sanctum website.

Three-D Forum student exhibit, May 7 – 11. Graduation exhibition by Master of Fine Arts student Meg Hartwig in the Ceramic Arts Building. Gallery hours are noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and Saturday by appointment. Reception 6 p.m. May 7.

Film: “The Guardian of the Past,” 7 p.m., May 7. A documentary by Polish director Malgorzata Potocka telling the story of Borys Voznytsky, director of the Lviv National Art Gallery, who fought to preserve thousands of sacred art pieces hidden at a Ukranian monastery. The film will be shown in Room 120 of the Communications Building and introduced by Marek Wieczorek, UW associate professor of art history, with a reception to follow. Learn more online.

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, 7:30 p.m., May 7. One of 11 resident arts organizations at New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, this group draws more people to chamber music than any other organization of its kind. Famed cellist David Finckel of the Emerson String Quartet and pianist Wu Han are the group’s artistic directors.Tickets are $32-$38 with up to two free youth tickets with the purchase of a regular price ticket. Presented by the UW World Series.

Pianist Jon Kimura Parker

Jon Kimura ParkerTara McMullen

Pianist Jon Kimura Parker, 7:30 p.m., May 8. Parker, among today’s most sought-after pianists, has performed for Queen Elizabeth II and the prime ministers of Canada and Japan. This program in Meany Hall will feature his own transcription of Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” Tickets are $40-$44 ($20 for students) with up to two free youth tickets with the purchase of a regular price ticket. Presented by the UW World Series. 206-543-4880.

Exhibit: “Artist’s Choice,” May 9 – June 8. School of Art staff member Kim Van Someren will join alumni in this show celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum Gallery, 1220 Third Ave. Reception is 5-7 p.m., May 9. 206-343-1101.

Music of Today: Digital Arts and Experimental Media, 7:30 p.m., May 9. An evening of improvised experimental music by School of Music faculty members Luke Bergman (bass), Richard Karpen (piano), Juan Pampin (electronics), and Cuong Vu (trumpet), with special guests Matt Ingalls (clarinet) and Greg Sinibaldi (saxophone). Tickets $10-$15, 206-543-4880.