Every Living Breath

For the second semester in a row, I am the Graduate Assistant for a class in the art department called "Time Based Media." It's a new-ish art medium that combines elements of visual, performance, and sound art. Pretty cool, right?

The funny thing is this... since I'm a music student in my second year of my masters degree, the Time Based professor figured I would be an expert "sound artist." And that would qualify me to both teach and create sound art. Little did either of us know that the kind of sounds I'm used to creating would not be considered sound art in the slightest.

Oh man, I've learned a LOT about sound art, sonic art, soundscapes, artistic silence, and sound manipulation in the past two semesters! I've been teaching it, critiquing it, and now finally creating it. The professor asked me to create a sound art piece that the students in Time Based Media 1 and 2 can use as the soundtrack for their final projects. Ugh! Kind of intimidating, no?

But the more I got into it, the more I really liked being creative and manipulating sounds. And as cheesy and art-therapy as this sounds, it sort of became an artistic outlet for some pent up emotions.

So I'm presenting my sound art to you, blog world! A sonic representation of cancer, through the words of one of my favorite poets, John Rybicki. I made my own little silly video to go with the sound piece, simply because you can blog a video, but not a sound clip. Mom, I apologize if you are embarrassed of any of these photos, but they are close to my heart. From spring 2008 to Christmas 2009, a photo journey through diagnosis, chemo, surgery, radiation, recovery, and recurrence.

The piece is called "Every Living Breath." I'd love to hear what you all think.