Desert Spring Audience-Interactive Playpen (Installation)
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Description of event: "Desert Spring"
is a portable, self-contained audio-visual-environmental audience-interactive
installation which allows up to five participants at a time to instantly
create original and beautiful sounds together, over the quiet, evocative
desert drone tape playing in the background, while viewing the slowly-changing
surrealistic and often dramatic multiple slide presentation of deserts from
the American Southwest. It can be open to the general public, or classes
of 25 at a time can be accommodated in 30-45 minute increments. Unlike other
"exhibits", the creators and facilitators are present at all times, interacting
with the visitors. The creative stations consist of (1) the "Whisper Station,"
which contains a number of 
desert artifacts
which, when held up to a digitally-processed mic and stroked, emit interesting
sounds, (2) a microphone digitally-processed for singers and performers of
small wind/string instruments, (3) a keyboard producing specially-designed
complimentary synthesizer sounds, and (4) a digitally-processed, amplified
"desert wheel" which can be bowed or stroked. "Desert Spring" is structured
so that there are no "wrong" or "unmusical" choices. It works well with
university/community audiences of all kinds. For performance fees, please
go to Events and Fees List.
What comes with "Desert Spring": The artists will be driving, bringing all performance materials and lighting. They stay with the installation throughout, interacting with the visitors.
Setup: Time needed--three hours including unloading. Can often partially unload the night before. Stations are in a semicircle. Slides are ideally projected on front wall or screen behind equipment so visitors can look up at them while performing. This is flexible, however.
Equipment provided by host: 3 large
cafeteria-style tables, 8 solid metal music stands, stereo sound system,
loading cart for long hauls (4-wheeled horizontal cart--not a hand dolly),
1-2 standard Kodak Carousel or Ektagraphic slide projectors w spare bulbs,
large screen or light wall space to project slides on preferably toward front
of room, c. 5 c, 3 mic stands with booms . Some of this may be optional.
Services to be provided by host:
Publicity and promotion, room completely darkened, projector screen set up,
help with unloading, setting up host's sound system, tables, etc. beforehand
setup diagram). During the opening hours, controlling visitor
access to the room. With a walk-in situation with a large audience this might
mean stationing someone at the door to make sure no more than 15-20 people
are in the room at any one time (those not participating directly can sit
and look at the slides and listen to the sounds being created). With specific
classes, host needs to coordinate schedule, and teachers are asked to help
control traffic to and from the creative area as participants take turns.
Power requirements: 20 amps, one
plug for the main audio in front of room. 15 amps on a separate circuit for
the slide projectors, with one plug in rear or side of room (see setup diagram).
Space requirements: Very flexible. Basically a large (c. 30 x 30 on up) room, hall, gallery, or auditorium that can be completely darkened will do. Should also be isolated from other loud sounds such as music playing next door or gym classes carrying through walls, etc.
Security requirements: Only applicable for more than 1-day installations. We ask that the room be locked during times we are not performing, and that during these times nothing else be scheduled. If room is not completely secure, then we ask that host provide an audiovisual cart on which we can set up the main part of the electronics, and wheel it into a secure office overnight. We ask that all reasonable means be taken to secure our equipment. This being done, we do not hold the host liable for theft, fire, or other calamity.
Cost and length: Please refer to Events and Fees link. For multi-day stays, you have the advantage of greatly increased audience through word-of-mouth. Desert Spring is a hybrid between a type of museum or gallery exhibit, and live performance. This is its uniqueness. It is often done with a formal concert at the end. We can send descriptions of these at your request. Due to its audience-interactive aspects with the artists, "Desert Spring" is enthusiastically supported by Meet the Composer, and funding approximating 1/3- 2/3 of the fee is often available through application by any non-profit organization. Inquire about this.
Click here for some spectacular examples of the DESERT SPRING MULTIPLE SLIDE COMPONENT
The McLean Mix Compact Discs & Cassettes Heading ~ How to contact The McLean Mix ~ Table of Contents
~ Other Exciting Audience-Interactive Playpens (Installations): Click on Rainforest and Jambori Rimba
Full copies of all reviews, demo cassettes, video, brochures available upon request, as are information on funding sources. Address: #55 Coon Brook Road, Petersburg, NY, 12138, USA. Phone: (518) 658 3595
