Denison's Vail Series: ETHEL presents 'Documerica'

The Vail Series welcomes Denison University?s ensemble-in-residence, ETHEL, presenting a multimedia experience, ?Documerica,? at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, at Swasey Chapel (200 Chapel Drive). Depending upon demand, a limited number of tickets for the Vail Series event may be released at $15 for sale. Visit vailseries.org for details. For more information, contact Michael Morris at 740-587-6539. ETHEL also will perform at the opening of a student exhibition, ?2016 Farmscape Juried Exhibition,? coupled with a Denison Museum exhibit of photographs from the Documerica archives at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 14, at the Denison Museum (240 West Broadway). That exhibition is free and open to the public. Indie-classical quartet ETHEL presents their landmark ?Documerica,? a meditation on America?s relationship to our land, our resources and ourselves. Documerica is a multimedia concert that melds screen video projections with original music by some of today?s top composers. Inspired by and showcasing evocative imagery from Project Documerica, a 1970s photographic archive commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency, the program explores this compelling snapshot of a tumultuous era that powerfully connects to today?s environmental and social issues. ?It?s difficult to adequately describe the impact of ETHEL?s ?Documerica,? said Michael Morris, director of fine arts programming and of the Vail Series. ?They have created an incredible melding of music and visuals that is greater than the sum of their parts. He added, ?As our ensemble-in-residence for the past two years, ETHEL has interacted with the campus in classrooms, concerts and in one-on-one advice with students and faculty that have enriched us all. We are so grateful for our collaboration.? Described by The New York Times as ?new music bonding with old images in rich, provocative and moving ways,? this evening-long program was created in collaboration with projection designer Deborah Johnson and directed by Steve Cosson. ETHEL?s Documerica juxtaposes manipulated vintage 1970s visuals with the music of today. Featuring new work by ETHEL members and commissioned composers Mary Ellen Childs, Ulysses Owens Jr., Jerod Impichchaachaaha? Tate, and James Kimo Williams, the program?s music is in constant dialogue with the projections in an arc that is by turns urban, rural, pastoral, and gritty. The composers selected for ETHEL?s Documerica represent the diversity of America. Hailing from different regions, backgrounds and generations, and influenced by a variety of musical practices, genres and forms, each contributes his or her distinctive voice to the program. More about EPA?s Documerica: Like the photographers of the Farm Security Administration during the Depression, many of the photographers took the scope of the project broadly; capturing the people that both create and are affected by the environments where they live. Early on the decision was made to share the images with the public and by August of 1972 the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C opened the first exhibition. The goal of capturing the American environment was not an easy one, but granting the photographers broad artistic freedom allowed the public to be witness to a wide range of issues: urban decay, varied pollution, and health and social crises. However, it also allowed us all to see ideas for change and human ingenuity. Today, the United States National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has catalogued over 22,000 of the strongest images and over 15,000 of these images, are now digitally available online. Denison faculty and staff took part in choosing photographs for the Documerica concert. They include Lauren Araiza, associate professor of history; Tabitha Chester, visiting assistant professor of women's studies and black studies; David Greene, professor of geosciences; Rebecca Homan, associate professor of biology; Justine Law, visiting assistant professor of environmental studies; Andrew McCall, associate professor, of biology; Michael Morris, director of fine arts programming and the Vail Art Series; Margot Singer, associate professor of English; Geoffrey Smith, professor of biology; James Weaver, assistant professor of English; and Sheilah Wilson, assistant professor of art.