One of the nation's foremost sound and light installation artists will be at the Artist Retreat Center on Feb. 13. Craig Colorusso will be the featured guest of the Village on the Lakes Writers and Poets. In conjunction with his visit, Colorusso will set up his Sun Boxes installation near the Lake Bella Vista Trail, across the highway from the ARC that same day. All activities are free and open to the public.
At the ARC, Colorusso will screen a 20-minute film about his work, "INSTALL: Sound, Light and Craig Colorusso" by filmmaker Kevin Belli. After the film, Colorusso will speak about the creative process.
Colorusso, a native New Englander who now calls Northwest Arkansas home, began his exploration of sound as a guitarist during the punk rock scene of the 1980s. By the 1990s, he was touring the U.S. with his bands and started his own record label. Rather than staying stuck in the punk movement, his music evolved. He began composing and trying out improv sound with other instruments, including the clarinet.
The journey into improv and experimentation resulted in Tagmusik, a 24-hour performance in Bethel, Conn., and Maschine, a composition for musical instruments and off-set printing presses. Delving even further, Colorusso began investigating light and sculpture.
This more complex meeting of stimuli resulted in MB 89 and CUBEMUSIC. MB 89 is Colorusso's concept for a sound and light installation that involves a continuous piece of music to create constant sound. CUBEMUSIC is a sound and light piece that consists of six four-foot aluminum cubes with geometric cutouts rigged with three different light sources. As the light grows and decays, the surrounding walls are shadowed with movement while the piece simultaneously emits a low drone. Last year, these pieces along with Colorusso's Sun Boxes, Moon Phases and "INSTALL" had a five-day run at an 80,000-square-foot warehouse in Charleston, S.C.
Sun Boxes premiered in 2009 as part of "Off the Grid" at the Goldwell Museum in Nevada. Sun Boxes is comprised of 20 speakers that are powered by the sun and resonate with a continuous guitar loop. Colorusso says that he likes things that "glow, float and drone" and has always been fascinated by the way sound and light alter the way time and space are perceived. He says he is also fascinated by time and has a desire to slow it down.
"We organize all experiences in these terms. The motivation behind my musical compositions and installations over the past several years has been the exploration of the convention that determines the way we experience time and space, and thereby our world."
Sun Boxes will be installed from noon until 5 p.m. on Feb. 13. Colorusso's visit at the ARC will be at 6 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public, but reservations are requested by calling 268-6463. The ARC is at 13467 Lookout Drive in Old Bella Vista.
Community on 02/03/2016