Here There: (Re)collecting Labor on the American Railway
May 28, 2024 – August 29, 2024
Closing Reception: Thursday, August 22, 2024 from 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Artist Talk: Thursday, August 22, 2024 beginning at 5 p.m., Cultural Arts Building Room 2033
CAB Art Gallery Summer hours: (May 28 - August 16, 2024) 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, closed on Fridays
“A train has a poor memory; it soon puts all behind it.” - Ray Bradbury, The Lake.
"Here There" is an immersive multimedia installation exploring complex historical relationships among labor, industrial infrastructure, and collective memory through an examination of three significant Transcontinental Railroad sites in Northern California: Donner Pass, Bloomer Cut, and Roseville Train Yard.
The project weaves together film from these three key sites and across ten other states spanning both coasts, archival materials, audio interviews with experts, field recordings, and a chamber orchestra score. Here There creates a dance between the everyday and the epic, the industrial and scenic, past and present, noise and silence.
The work is a collaboration between UNCW Professor Stefani Byrd, Composer Caroline Louise Miller, and world renowned contemporary music ensemble Alarm Will Sound.
CAROLINE LOUISE MILLER - Sound Design, Original Score
Miller’s work explores affect, ecology, labor politics, tactility, and digital materiality. Their music has appeared across the U.S. and internationally, including Germany, Denmark, Australia, Mexico, Canada, Italy, the U.K., and Switzerland. Miller is Assistant Professor of Sonic Arts at Portland State University, and holds a Ph.D in Music from UC San Diego. www.carolinelouisemiller.com/
STEFANI BYRD - Cinematography, Editing, Research
Byrd’s art practice includes video, new media, and interactive technologies. Their practice explores the impact of imbalanced power structures. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including South Korea, Switzerland, Spain, and Greece. Byrd is currently Assistant Professor of New Media in the Film Studies Department at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. www.stefanibyrd.com @stefanibyrdstudio
ALARM WILL SOUND - Original Score Performance
“As close to being a rock band as a chamber orchestra can be” (The New York Times), Alarm Will Sound is a 20-member touring ensemble led by Artistic Director Alan Pierson that commissions, performs, and records innovative works by established and emerging composers, especially works that incorporate theatrical and multimedia elements. www.alarmwillsound.com/
