Room 21 at Barnes Foundation

Ars Nova Workshop and The Barnes Foundation are pleased to present “Room 21,” the opening night performance of the 2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival, curated by Lee Tusman. This new musical performance piece by composer Jace Clayton, also known as DJ /rupture, is inspired by the diverse art and objects found in the Barnes collection.

The hour-long performance piece was written by Clayton in response to objects, artworks and recordings from The Barnes Foundation collection. In particular, Clayton was drawn to the modest Room 21, which contains an eclectic mix of works including Amish craftwork, a Modigliani nude, African masks, religious works, and paintings by Barnes students. “Room 21” will be performed by an ensemble consisting of more than a dozen musicians, including the Prometheus Chamber Orchestra, Ethiopian musician Gezachew Habtemariam and pianist Emily Manzo, all wearing custom outfits handcrafted by fashion designer Rocio Salceda of Prellezo....

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Ars Nova Workshop and The Barnes Foundation are pleased to present “Room 21,” the opening night performance of the 2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival, curated by Lee Tusman. This new musical performance piece by composer Jace Clayton, also known as DJ /rupture, is inspired by the diverse art and objects found in the Barnes collection.

The hour-long performance piece was written by Clayton in response to objects, artworks and recordings from The Barnes Foundation collection. In particular, Clayton was drawn to the modest Room 21, which contains an eclectic mix of works including Amish craftwork, a Modigliani nude, African masks, religious works, and paintings by Barnes students. “Room 21” will be performed by an ensemble consisting of more than a dozen musicians, including the Prometheus Chamber Orchestra, Ethiopian musician Gezachew Habtemariam and pianist Emily Manzo, all wearing custom outfits handcrafted by fashion designer Rocio Salceda of Prellezo.

Based in New York City, Jace Clayton uses an interdisciplinary approach to focus on how sound, memory, and public space interact, with an emphasis on low-income communities and the global South. Bob Hammond of New York Magazine called him “a one-man musical Venn diagram, linking up genres, people, styles, and beats.”

Clayton’s book Uproot: Travels in 21st Century Music and Digital Culture will be published this summer by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Recent projects include Sufi Plug-Ins, a free suite of music software-as-art, based on non-western conceptions of sound and alternative interfaces; and The Julius Eastman Memorial Dinner, a touring performance piece for grand pianos, electronics, and voice. As DJ /rupture, he has released several critically-acclaimed albums and hosted a weekly radio show on WFMU for five years.

Program
7–8­­pm gallery access
8–9:30pm performance

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