One of the most important observations for me about the Book of Job is its tripartite structure. Proportionately, the outer sections are rather small compared to the monstrous middle. Chapter-wise, the first part is 2 chapters, the second is 39 chapters, and the third part is 1 chapter. However, this all makes sense in terms of the Book of Job's main focus. On another level, this book is a proportional inversion of Job's actual life: before the tragedy, Job was pretty old. The tragedy lasted for some time ... probably not more than a couple of months or years. Then, after the tragedy, Job lives 140 years. In the end, I inferred from the text that there were three parts of Job's life: Prostration, Isolation, and Reunification. And this is how my piece is divided.
PART ONE: Prostration - "A Perfect and Upright Man: Summation of Job"
This Vignette is also divided into three parts entitled Prostration, Isolation, Reunification. Because it is the first exposed scene of the show, it is a recreation/summary of the Book. Of course, the middle 39 chapters are greatly reduced for practical purposes. The instrumental forces have yet to be determined. As of yet, they are trumpet, cello, piano, electronics, narrator/singer, 5 actors, video, and off stage voices. The three movements of this first part all run into each other continuously, even though the music implies the separations.
PART TWO: Isolation - "Oh, that my words were written!: Scrutiny of Job"
This Vignette explores the Book of Job both artistically, abstractly, and academically. It is here that the audience is exposed to creative writing inspired by Job, some theories of its origins and development, philosophical and theological musings, quotes of praise and criticism, interviews, and other reactions. This movement will be a bit overwhelming all at once, however, piece by piece, it is highly calculated. For this movement, I am incorporating some visual art by Kym Finkle.
PART THREE: Reunification - "He weakeneth the strength of the mighty: Similars of Job"
This Vignette is divided into two parts. The first will feature Mr. Fred Peterbark performing an arrangement of the beloved hymn, "It is Well With My Soul", with an added verse by me. The second part is a video accompanied by a 6 part chorale meditation. Towards the end, the video settles into one scene, and dancers end the show. The video will contain text revealing characters in relatively recent history who have gone through Job-like experiences, one of whom is Horation Spafford, the composer of "It is Well With My Soul." This Vignette, along with the rest of the work, concludes that suffering - no matter how great or small - is part of life. In essence, the whole of 3 Vignettes of Job is simply a celebration of life.
29 January 2011
ABOUT THE SHOW - DEVELOPMENT
Hello everyone! Thanks for taking the time to peruse through this blog about my first multimedia show. The process is a bit daunting, especially with the other projects that are occurring simultaneously. However, I am excited for April.
This process began back in 2007, when my good friend Mariela Baez helped me put together my application for the ATLAS fellowship at CU Boulder. As soon as I read about the fellowship on AMC's opportunity update, I started my application. The chance for an "evening length" artistic work intrigued me. Within that time, I was also working on a 30-minute song cycle, utilizing the Preamble to the US Constitution, the first 2 paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights. Up until that point, that was my longest piece, and I had always envisioned of composing something longer, and more involved.
The Book of Job has been something that has fascinated me ever since reading it in Mr. Roberts's English class my senior year of high school. He encouraged us to think reflectively and analytically upon every word we read, and I plunged into the Book of Job with great enthusiasm. I must admit, I was more of a Christian then than I am now, but I still believe that the Bible can speak volumes to anyone who wants to listen, even if it is by way of a Kiekegaardian "indirect learning". Consequently, I used this as the impetus for an evening-length project, and immediately finalized the parts. Mariela, my dearest friend, found the perfect material for the last part, and sealed the deal on my application.
Fortunately, I got into the school, and received CU Boulder's first ATLAS Fellowship.
Wanting more private time to focus on the show, I applied for a residency at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts. I was lucky enough to have spent 4 weeks during the summer of 2009 in my own private studio in Nebraska City, working on the nuts and bolts of the show. It was here that I talked to other artists about the show - a wonderful writer named Allison Landa, 2 excellent photographers named Emily Momohara and Naomi Shersty, an NEA Grant Recipient writer named Sarah Freligh, and two visual artists named Erika Navarrete and Neva Sills. The time spent here was absolutely necessary to the artistic process, and I achieved so much.
It's 2011, and I am putting the finishing touches on the music and the text for the show. I will later start the myriad of video work and patches, and wrap it all up by March. It is, indeed, a load of work. But I love it, and I'm looking forward to sharing the end result with as many people as I can.
This process began back in 2007, when my good friend Mariela Baez helped me put together my application for the ATLAS fellowship at CU Boulder. As soon as I read about the fellowship on AMC's opportunity update, I started my application. The chance for an "evening length" artistic work intrigued me. Within that time, I was also working on a 30-minute song cycle, utilizing the Preamble to the US Constitution, the first 2 paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights. Up until that point, that was my longest piece, and I had always envisioned of composing something longer, and more involved.
The Book of Job has been something that has fascinated me ever since reading it in Mr. Roberts's English class my senior year of high school. He encouraged us to think reflectively and analytically upon every word we read, and I plunged into the Book of Job with great enthusiasm. I must admit, I was more of a Christian then than I am now, but I still believe that the Bible can speak volumes to anyone who wants to listen, even if it is by way of a Kiekegaardian "indirect learning". Consequently, I used this as the impetus for an evening-length project, and immediately finalized the parts. Mariela, my dearest friend, found the perfect material for the last part, and sealed the deal on my application.
Fortunately, I got into the school, and received CU Boulder's first ATLAS Fellowship.
Wanting more private time to focus on the show, I applied for a residency at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts. I was lucky enough to have spent 4 weeks during the summer of 2009 in my own private studio in Nebraska City, working on the nuts and bolts of the show. It was here that I talked to other artists about the show - a wonderful writer named Allison Landa, 2 excellent photographers named Emily Momohara and Naomi Shersty, an NEA Grant Recipient writer named Sarah Freligh, and two visual artists named Erika Navarrete and Neva Sills. The time spent here was absolutely necessary to the artistic process, and I achieved so much.
It's 2011, and I am putting the finishing touches on the music and the text for the show. I will later start the myriad of video work and patches, and wrap it all up by March. It is, indeed, a load of work. But I love it, and I'm looking forward to sharing the end result with as many people as I can.
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