Pushing the Envelope: Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release - Asheville, North Carolina - July 9-30, 2011

Pushing the Envelope: ADSR is a forthcoming multimedia art show melding the historical roots of electronic music with the creativity of Asheville artists who have been inspired by the connections between analog synthesis and visual and performing arts. Bob Moog’s pioneering work will serve as inspiration for the exhibit. The show will be held at The Artery in Asheville’s River Arts District from Saturday, July 9, through Saturday, July 30. The Asheville Area Arts Council and the Bob Moog Foundation are cosponsoring the three-week exhibit.

Public Opening Reception: Saturday, July 9th at 8 p.m.

Workshops (All Ages):

Wed. July 13th
Bridget Elmer at 6 p.m.

Wed. July 20th
Chris Stack & Steve Wager at 6 p.m.

Tue. July 26th
River Guerguerian & Gene Felice at 6 p.m.

Closing Evening of Performances: Saturday, July 30th at 8 p.m.

Artery Hours: 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday

Artists involved in the show will interpret the concept of shaping sound through an “envelope,” drawing inspiration from the synthesizer parameters attack, decay, sustain, and release. Pushing the Envelope‘s participating artists are:

R. Brooke Priddy, Janice Lancaster Larsen, Adam Larsen, and Kima Moore — A fashion/movement/installation/sound collaboration

Jason Daniello – Exploring interactive, analog sound

Gene A. Felice II & David McConville – An interactive, cymatics/analog sound collaboration that will allow viewers to visualize sound waves.

Elisa Faires – Sound performance/installation

River Guerguerian – Virtuoso percussionist presents sound performance and workshop

Bridget Elmer – An analog sound-inspired letterpress print series

Shaun Hollingsworth – A Bob Moog Foundation photo print series exploring vintage circuitry

Gabriel Shaffer – This sculptural theremin exhibit will allow attendees to interact with metal art, light and analog sound

The work of these artists will surround a small selection of analog electronic instruments, schematics, notes, and ephemera from Bob Moog’s archives, illustrating the connection between innovation, electronic sound, and creativity in the arts. A focal point of the show, the archives will illustrate both the history and the technology behind the Moog sound. This includes the envelope generator, a major component in music synthesis that controls changes in a sound’s loudness and spectral content over time. Most envelope generators control four parameters—attack, decay, sustain, and release—commonly referred to as simply ADSR.

In addition, the show will give the Asheville Area Arts Council and the Bob Moog Foundation opportunities to highlight their respective missions and pay homage to art, music, and technology as intertwined mediums of expression that were all expressed in Bob Moog’s work.

There will also be a series of all-ages workshops focused on the show’s theme and on community outreach and education. Participants will have opportunities to learn about electronic synthesis, sound visualization, and art in a hands-on environment.

Workshop Schedule and Descriptions

All Pushing the Envelope workshops have a suggested donation of $5 to attend.
Workshops all start at 6pm and run approximately 90 minutes.

Bridget Elmer – July 13

This workshop will explore sound visualization through the processes of printing and bookmaking. Each participant will experiment with translating sounds into hand printed images and transforming their prints into a variety of book forms. No experience necessary. There is a materials fee of $5 per person.

Steve Wager and Chris Stack – July 20

We Have Fallen Into The Place Where Everything Is Music

Don’t worry about writing down these songs!
And if one of our instruments breaks, it doesn’t matter.
We have fallen into the place where everything is music.
~Rumi

Ever wanted to know what was happening in a synth that creates those amazing noises? What is the difference between analog and digital (and why do some people think analog is better?) Steve Wager, long time BMF Volunteer and synthesizer enthusiast, will explain the foundation of electronic music in easy to understand terms utilizing the Bob Moog Foundation’s new educational synth, the Novitiate. Participants will then have the opportunity to expand upon their new knowledge with a workshop by Chris Stack of ExperimentalSynth.com fame. Chris will explore the basics of experimental patches and sound design and will treat attendees with a short performance.

Chris explains “It’s an amazing time to be a musician. We can now make music on everything from traditional instruments, computers and synths to tablets and even cell phones. In this workshop, I will weave all this together and explains the connections and technologies that make it possible”.

Gene Felice and River Guerguerian – July 26

Gene Felice is a rock star multi media artist. River Guerguerian is an internationally acclaimed virtuoso percussionist. The have teamed up in this unique workshop to explore the elements of sound, frequency & matter, via a timeline of ancient to contemporary sources of analog sound (singing bowls, gongs, theremin, water & sand) with participants. Through cymatics they will illustrate both sides of how matter affects sound, and how sound affects matter.

More info available at http://www.moogfoundation.org/