Erik Austin Deerly

If Ever (an Ocean) Relinquished

Erik — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 10:02:27 +0000

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For your consideration, my interpretation of Alex Ketley’s work is realized in three sections, scored for mixed ensemble of three pitched percussion instruments, B-flat Bass Clarinet and String Quartet. Written for DanceWorks Chicago and Harris Theater (01/07/10).

Soundtrack available for download on its own…

Souls Entwined (Decade Mix)

Erik — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:36:42 +0000

We found an ignored B-Side track the other day, recorded during the Palm Desert sessions in 1999. This is a free shortened mix. (Rev. 2009)

(FREE, just click the BUY link and save)

The Scarecrow Dancing

Erik — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:20:59 +0000

The Scarecrow Dancing is written for a mixed ensemble of three pitched percussion instruments, B-flat Bass Clarinet and Violin. The instrumentation includes a few hard-to-find instruments, including the pitched percussion instruments Lithophone, Glass Armonica, and Ugal. The Lithophone part may be played by any xylophone—metallophone, vibraphone, marimba, etc.—but ideally will be performed on a replica of Joseph Richardson’s mid 19th century Musical Stones of Skiddaw. The sound of the Stones of Skiddaw is percussive, non-resonant and slightly out of tune across its entire range.

The Glass Armonica is far less rare, but nonetheless requires some explanation. The Armonica was named by its inventor, Benjamin Franklin. He devised a mechanical equivalent to the rubbing of wine glasses. Many variations of this instrument have been called for by more than 100 composers including Mozart and Beethoven. Any of the variations will do.

The Ugal is one of the instruments in a Balinese Gamelan orchestra. Since these instruments are each unique to the orchestra for which they are built, this part may require more than one instrument or another Gamelan instrument. Any metallophone with sufficient range may be substituted if needed. The requirement for this part is a long, resonant metallic tone from the bow on bronze. The Ugal is suspended over bamboo resonators, adding volume, color, and duration. This work is an adaptation of the larger If Ever (an Ocean) Relinquished dance piece, intended for live performance. The score is available to interested ensembles upon request. (2010)

The Scarecrow Dancing

At the Fast End of the Fast-Slow Continuum

Erik — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:54:27 +0000

This piece was conceived of as an artistic expression of the notion that those species which live fast also die young. Time compression—roughly one month in six minutes—exposes the relentless 24-hour commuter drive into downtown Chicago, beneath an unnatural forest of light posts and a smoggy skyline. The piece was created in support of the International Day of Climate Action (24/10/2009), in evidence of current conditions contributing to global warming.

At the Fast End of the Fast-Slow Continuum is an experimental time-based video made using custom Max/MSP/Jitter patches to sample and reconstitute a streaming media source. (2009)

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Soundtrack available for download on its own…

The Friendship Gardens

Erik — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:09:47 +0000

The Friendship Gardens is a composition in two parts, written for string quartet and bowed piano. The score is available to interested ensembles upon request. (2009) This piece is dedicated to Madeleine (1938-2009).

The Friendship Gardens I

The Friendship Gardens II

Little Bang, the Release Party

Erik — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:04:37 +0000

Come to the Little Bang book release party & get lit.

On Sunday, December 14th at 7 PM, please join us at The Evanston Print and Paper Shop for a Little Bang release party. The book contains poetry, fiction, essays, and images from Stephen DeSantis, Jill Summers, Jen Blair, Brandon Graham, Benjamin Chandler, Erik Austin Deerly, Audrey Niffenegger, Lessa Bouchard, Matthew Aron, Elisabeth Long, Kevin L. Cuasay, Meredith R. Winer, Karol Shewmaker, Jen Thomas, Ken Gerleve, Marian Runk, and April Sheridan.

We’ll have copies of the book for sale, a raffle, some readings, and a few words about how Little Bang came to be. If you’ve never been to EPPS, it’s quite easy to get to, even on public transportation, but because it’s a nice walk from the el, you might want to consider a car pool. Directions can be found here.

Dear Harvey

Erik — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 19:35:52 +0000

I went to your memorial last Thursday
but you were not there
in your place was an old photo
you on your horse
full head of poorly cut hair
accidentally hip.

The woman spoke about energy, afterlife
and rejoining your ancestors
while we bowed our heads
you reached into your holster
drew your revolver
and took pot shots.

If you didn’t want your bronzed baby booties displayed in public
you should’ve mentioned it while you had the chance, cowboy.

Published in little bang, Volume 1, Number 1, 2008

Breaking Away

Erik — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:53:31 +0000

Host: Columbia InterArts – UIC Design MFA Candidates 07-08
Location: Gallery 37 Center for the Arts – CenterSpace Gallery 5th flr.
66 E. Randolph, Chicago, IL 60601 US
When: Friday, April 11, 6:00PM

BREAKING AWAY
graduate thesis work from
University of Illinois at Chicago Graphic Design & Columbia College Chicago Arts and Media & Book and Paper MFA candidates

Opening Reception
Friday, April 11th 2008
4 pm. – 11 pm.
runs from March 31st – April 14th

CenterSpace Gallery – 5th Floor
Gallery 37 Center for the Arts
66 E. Randolph
Chicago IL. 60601

Time, Through Windows

Erik — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:19:25 +0000

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Time, Through Windows explores the perception of time, using the passage from spring to winter as a metaphor for the artist’s father’s cycle of life—from child to elder. Music and spoken dialog work in combination with video to create a six-piece narrative that invites the audience into an intimate durational experience. This work, presented as a circular grouping of six audio/video pairs, acts as a vehicle for the audience to contemplate that which might normally go overlooked.

This is a diaristic piece that falls somewhere in the middle between the political diaries of video artists such as Dara Birnbaum, Chantal Ackerman or Krzysztof Wodiczko and the lyrical works of Bill Viola, Mary Lucier, etc. Erik transformed his father’s life stories, told at the end of his life and divided them into six segments or periods of time. At each monitor, the viewer hears one small segment of this life. However, as poignant as they are, it is the visual component that provides the heart-break. Erik chose to film a nondescript comer of Chicago, complete with weedy, empty lot, a fence and a stop light for over six months. As the time goes by we see the seasons move from spring to winter, small changes in the urban landscape, cars and people move at random; always dominated by that stop light-a perfect sundial and metaphor for the relentless march of time. Although this is a very personal piece, it challenges the viewer to enter and contemplate their own memories. Furthermore, because viewers may enter and exit at any point, everyone’s experience of the stories will be different, thus creating a form of unique and unexpected “interactivity”.
Suzanne Cohan-Lange, Founder & Chair Emeritus, Interdisciplinary Arts Department, Columbia College Chicago

Six Months in the Making

This work was filmed continuously from July 1 to December 31, 2007. The footage was then compressed at a ten-to-one ratio, producing twelve hours of video, moving in two-second increments of time. The score was composed to sync to the “ticks” of this footage, timed at 60 or 120 beats per second.

In gallery installation, six black AutoPoles each support a video/audio pair. Audio plays through focused speakers that allow the audience to listen to each narrative in open-air isolation. The black fixture rising up from floor to ceiling is strikingly similar in appearance to the lone streetlight in the work.

Erik Deerly’s “Time, Through Windows” is an installation of great quiet authority. The deceptive simplicity of the design, which actually was kind of a feat of technological coordination, particularly for that exhibition space, created a place for listening in a world and in a room where listening is becoming impossible. Erik’s working method is assured and diligent; he knew what he wanted and he achieved it. The decision to allow the structure to be part of the installation, instead of a more cloaked and hidden effect, was an interesting counterpoint to the quiet understatement of the video images. Actually, Erik has been making work of this quality for some time; this piece was not a leap forward by any means. But the maturity of his vision has been consistent, and his concerns about death and time are adult and quietly thoughtful.
Jenny Magnus, Artistic Director, Curious Theatre Branch

Soundtrack available for download on its own…

Lost and Found

Erik — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 08:56:40 +0000

Video narrative It’s All About Time exhibited October 29, 2007 – January 2, 2008. Hours: 9 am – 7 pm Monday – Thursday and 9 am – 5 pm on Friday.
Location: Hoken Annex, Columbia College Chicago, 623 S. Wabash, 1st Floor.

“Like the misplaced mitten or errant earring, each one of us eventually ends up at the lost and found. When we have been abandoned, cast away, forgotten, set free, moved on, we are confronted with a bleak universe. When we lose sight of the path, however, we are suddenly free to go whichever way we choose. Being at the lost and found is a moment of utmost distress, and at the same time, a place to begin again.”Lost and Found is curated by IMAGe Unit, a collective of the Columbia College Chicago Interdisciplinary Arts and Media MFA candidates dedicated to the principles of collaborative and individual creative excellence. IMAGe Unit invited Columbia students of all disciplines to submit works based upon the theme “lost and found.” The exhibition features a broad range of artworks from traditional photography to multimedia installation.