Somehow it is June already. Maybe you have settled into your quarantine life, maybe you are still settling in, maybe you live in a place where certain parts of life are starting to re-open. Maybe you don't really even want to go outside because it feels like everything is on fire anyway. Maybe you are feeling scared, angry, lost. Maybe life is hectic, maybe life is anxiety-producing, or maybe you are really looking for something new. More on that one in a minute.
The zine project is chugging along. I've released 13 pieces so far and a few more will be released today! It feels great to celebrate these accomplishments and still share the art I am working on with you at this time. If you haven't checked it out yet, the place to go is justinbulava.bandcamp.com! This isn't a big operation: I print everything from home on my standard DeskJet printer and ship it off to you, wherever you are. That's right, the mail! Who doesn't love getting mail? If you prefer, there are some pieces that are also available as PDFs. Prices are $1-4 per piece, so at that price, why not get a couple? Take a look.
But remember how I asked if you were looking for something new? Well, you may be aware that artists of all stripes have been taking their performing lives online lately. I'm no stranger to the streaming show, and it comes with its obvious benefits: larger audience reach, no venue rental fees, ability to collaborate with people in different locations. It feels like another great way to connect with people during this time of isolation, so I'd like to announce a special streaming show coming soon!
Sat June 13, 5pm PST (8pm EST) on Zoom
For this show, two artist friends of mine, Rebecca Olason and Doug Laustsen, will create graphic scores for me to interpret in sound. What is a graphic score? As long as it communicates something visually, it's a graphic score, so the possibilities are endless. Everyone at the Zoom event will get to see the scores and then it will be up to me to interpret them in a way I feel is appropriate through sound. A few weeks ago I attended a virtual event for the release of a book called You Are an Artist by Sarah Urist Green. The event included snippets of interpreting hastily produced graphic scores via Zoom, and I was inspired to try and take the idea a little further. This event will combine a lot of artistic concepts I care about, from improvisation, abstract art, the malleability of the score, and open-ended collaboration.
I hope you can join us for this event and perhaps more throughout the summer! Be sure to subscribe to the mailing list at justinbulava.com if you haven't already, so you can receive the link for the event shortly before the show. Take care and see you soon!
Justin