KARNEJ/gestura1
Experimental sound, movement, and poetry performance
INAUGURATION: Thursday evening, February 16th, at 7 pm
Saturday, February 18th at 3 pm
Q & A to follow after each performance
KARNEJ/gestura1
Experimental sound, movement, and poetry performance
Thursday, February 16th at 7 pm (two movements) inauguration
Saturday, February 18th at 3 pm (three movements), “Chair”, “Hair,” and “Fan”
El NIDO by VC Projects, 1028 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles 90029
This inaugural shot of a series that seeks to make visible the importance of gesture in play, gestura1 is a scenario contrived by KARNEJ with the help of movement interpreter Stevie Kincheloe. Both collaborate with the help of movement-tracking body sensors and modular electronics to create pieces consisting of triggered vocalized words/phonemes.
The gestures of both participants and the curation/editing of the vocal recordings used are the sole content of the work while its form is generated by the flows of “pseudo-musical” context ignited thereafter. The result is a stream of implied meaningfulness; juxtapositions of flickering, glitching vocalizations. Yet what’s ultimately of import is not the result but the possibilities catalyzed by the process and format as a whole— gestura2 (03/16/23) will include the participation of those attending in its process and implementation, making the gestura series an interactive collaboration mediated by machines.
El NIDO is pleased to present KARNEJ: gestura - a series of monthly performances that encompass sound, words, objects, movement, and artificial intelligence components.
Since its opening in 2021, (EN) has been a place for individualism, sharing unique exhibitions and music performances that amplify human existence. The mission has been to create a platform for exploratory thought and discovery. It informs a diverse community to explore noteworthy landscapes. It encourages the cultivation of new ways of portraying our humanistic need to create limitless dialogues within multiple mediums. We are excited to share the month-to-month output of gestura series. How it will evolve, and the conversations it will ensue.
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KARNEJ is the origin point of a variety of media instigations. In the past these have taken the form and appearance of visual art, poetry and sound/music in galleries and performance spaces in the US (MX Gallery, Filosofi Arts, Interstate Projects, P.S. 1 and WFMU, Montez Press Radio in NY) and abroad (performances in Centro de Cultura Digital, Centro Cultural de España in Mexico City and in Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona and Vigo, Spain).
KARNEJ is a dwelling. A something and somewhere resisting authorship through a faith in personal and collective codes. It prioritizes a communion between different modes through chance encounters where the experience of rupture can emerge. For the purposes of the gestura series, KARNEJ is the third Thursday of every month in EL NIDO.
An interdisciplinary artist, Stevie Kincheloe understands movement as a conversation between the physical and metaphysical planes. What began as a path to opening that notoriously elusive portal of inspiration, her movement meditations are becoming a medium all their own. A dismantling of the masks and false faces we show to the world, the intuitive moment is channeling the raw expression of the truth, moment to moment.
In this episode, we meet in Hollywood at El NIDO to speak to KARNEJ about the gestura - a series of monthly performances encompassing sound, words, objects, movement, and artificial intelligence components. The series seeks to make visible the importance of gesture in play, gestura1 is a scenario contrived by KARNEJ with the help of dancer/interpreter Stevie Kincheloe. Both will collaborate with movement-tracking body sensors, modular electronics, and A.I. text transcribers to create a spoken word piece consisting of triggered vocalized words/phrases. Its inauguration is Thursday, February 16th, at 7 pm at El NIDO.
We learn how the performance comes about and what it seeks - "a stream of implied meaningfulness" not contrived, instead hopefully raw output.
"The gestures of both participants and the curation/editing of the vocal recordings used are the sole content of the work while the flows of context ignited after that generate its form. The result is an oracular stream of implied meaningfulness, juxtapositions of narrative with flickering, glitching vocalizations. But what's important is not the result but the possibilities catalyzed by the process as a whole— gestura2 (03/16/23) will include the participation of those attending in its process and performance, making the series an interactive collaboration by way of the machine."
We uncover KARNEJ is the origin point of a variety of media instigations. In the past, these have taken the form and appearance of visual art, poetry, and sound/music in galleries and performance spaces in the U.S. (MX Gallery, Filosofi Arts, Interstate Projects, P.S. 1 and WFMU, Montez Press Radio in N.Y.) and abroad (performances in Centro de Cultura Digital, Centro Cultural de España in Mexico City and Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona and Vigo, Spain).
Also, KARNEJ is a dwelling. A something and somewhere resisting authorship through faith in personal and collective codes. It prioritizes communion between different modes through chance encounters where the experience of rupture can emerge. The gestura series will continue on the third Thursday of every month in EL NIDO.
The conversation is fascinating as we unravel the instigation of this unique performance series. I also share my views about the necessity to witness various concepts of experimentation to more profound any individual's studio practice. Further, we explore elements of non-authorship and precisely what that means to this series. And of course, I ask KARNEJ the famous last question of what would you say to your younger self or rather "words of wisdom" to other individuals. The answer is surprising, as each of my guests always has interesting autographical comments that inform human existence to all creatives, regardless of what stage.