Rest Within the Wake, 2023. Photographs by Maria Baranova.
“But Rest is more than just an impressive musical score rooted in cultural theory. It is a “sensory audiovisual poem for the spirit.” … It is something entirely, uniquely itself.”
—The Observer
Rest Within the Wake was a 50-minute somatic audiovisual experience that featured an orchestral score written 60 feet beneath the surface of the Caribbean Sea and cyanotype paper weavings ranging in scale, from small to monumental. The audio facet of this project premiered at Baryshnikov Arts in 2023 shortly before a full exhibition opened in ICA at Maine College of Art and Design (Portland, ME).
Excerpt from Rest Within the Wake.
This work is intimately tethered to In the Wake, written by Christina Sharpe; The Black Interior, written by Elizabeth Alexander; and Inciting Joy, written by Ross Gay. In Rest Within the Wake, Sprang invites us to listen deeply while welcoming our own bodies, our ancestors, our traumas, our pain, our longings, visions, and dreams.
The orchestral spiritual jazz score features 17 musicians, including: first chair orchestra players, world-class jazz musicians and grammy-award winning choral artists. All meant to cocoon audience members who were invited to bring pillows, blankets and whatever else might aid in comfort while laying on provided yoga mats.
James Allister Sprang: Lead Artist
MUSICIANS
Percussion: Jake Goldbas
Mathis Picard: Keys
Steven Bradshaw: Vocalist
S T A R R Busby: Lead Vocalist
Jonathan Clark: French Horn
Nina Cottman: Violin
Brent Edmondson: Double Bass
Chi Park Edmondson: Violin
Lauren Kelly: Vocalist
Sue Lerner: Cello
Maren Montalbano: Vocalist
Justin Moore: Trombone
Robert Skoniczin: Trumpet
Jason Stein: Vocalist
Daniel Taylor: Vocalist
CORE COLLABORATORS
Benjamin Louis Brody: Sheet Music Transcription Assistant
Brendan McGeehan: Recording Engineer
Chris Gaskell: Sound Technician
Marin Day: Project Manager
Pre-Order Rest Within the Wake Vinyl
PRESS AND LINKS
Experiencing James Allister Sprang’s ‘Rest Within the Wake’ By Caedra Scott-Flaherty
Right to Buoyancy by Romi Morrison
SPECIAL THANKS
Rest Within the Wake is supported by the first 4DSound system in the nation. A record, doubling as an exhibition catalog, was pressed by FeltVoid and ICA at MECA&D. Featuring a stereo mix of the composition along with documentation of the ICA exhibition and an insightful text written by Romi Morrison, Assistant Professor in the Design Media Arts department at UCLA.