Deborah Johnson at the Big Screen Project

Posted by / May 9th, 2011 / 1 Response

As part of LISA’s partnership with the Big Screen Project, we will be showing excerpts from some of Deborah Johnson’s works during the month of May on the Big Screen at the Eventi Hotel at 30th and 6th in Manhattan.  We are excited that Deborah is working with us for this project!

Deborah Johnson’s bio as of March 24th, 2011:

Deborah Johnson, aka CandyStations, is a multi-disciplinary artist and designer based in Brooklyn, NY.  She designs and performs live video projections for music groups including Sufjan Stevens, Wilco, Calexico, M. Ward, and Lambchop in such venues as Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Fillmore, The Ryman, and Wiener Konzerthaus. She has also created site-specific projections for events at the Museum of Modern Art, 92Y Tribeca, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Chicago’s Millennium Park, and the Baltimore Museum of Art.  Her music video and animation work has been exhibited worldwide and screened at numerous film festivals.

Deborah is also part of the creative team for the multi-media production HERE [ THE STORY DREAMS ], an evolving collaboration between herself, filmmaker Braden King, composer Michael Krassner and the Boxhead Ensemble, produced by Pomegranate Arts. An interim version was recently featured as the sold-out opening night event of the Creative Capital exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Work on the piece continued during a residency at Mass MoCA in June, 2010.
She has completed residencies at Mass MoCA, The Experimental Television Center, and The Atlantic Center for the Arts where she was one of seven artists selected to work with new media artist Carsten Nicolai.

Deborah is currently touring with Sufjan Stevens’ acclaimed Age Of Adz production, for which she directs, designs and performs the live visuals.
candystations.com
vimeo.com/channels/candystations
flickr.com/candystations/collections

Here are the pieces that will be shown:
“The Vivian Girls Are Visited In The Night By Saint Dargarius And His Squadron Of Benevolent Butterflies”
Created by Deborah Johnson
Music by Sufjan Stevens

Inspired by Henry Darger’s Vivian Girls, a loose narrative is constructed from Super8 footage of a family day at the beach as Sufjan’s neice and nephew struggle to free themselves from the tyranny of adults.

“The Palm Sunday Tornado Hits Crystal Lake”
Created by Deborah Johnson
Music by Sufjan Stevens
Programming by Siebren Versteeg

A constantly shifting tapestry of light transforms Sufjan Stevens’ instrumental into the visual realm. As the short piece builds from its stately piano opening to its kinetic middle section, the screen is overtaken with blinding clusters of white, which then fall away again as the music winds down.*
*Description adopted from Mark Richardson’s review of the video on Pitchfork.com.

“Mister Butterfly”
Created by Deborah Johnson and Carlos Cabeza
Music by The Aluminum Group

Lovers leave a mark. In this piece, a reverie of lovers past plays out upon the pillow like a trace of perfume left after your best and saddest tryst.

“BAM Takeover 2008” (excerpt and detail)
Created by Deborah Johnson

Projections of tiny burlesque dancers atop star laden archways entertained Brooklyn Academy of Music patrons during BAM TAKEOVER 2008, an all-night event featuring bands, DJs, games and video art curated by Sufjan Stevens.

May’s Leaders in Software and Art choices (a 40-min. loop that plays three times through in a two hour period), including works by Phillip Stearns, Erik Sanner, Deborah Johnson and Blake Carrington, will show on the Big Screen at the following times:

5/10- 9-11AM
5/12- 12-2PM, 8-10PM
5/24 9-11AM
5/26- 12-2PM, 8-10PM 6-8PM