Listening Session: Rest Within the Wake

Acclaimed multimedia artist James Allister Sprang’s “sensory audiovisual poem for the spirit,” Rest Within the Wake, makes its South Florida debut at YoungArts for one engagement only during Miami Art Week 2023.

Space is limited, and due to the nature of the event, late entry will not be permitted. Your ticket purchase guarantees your spot only until the published event time, so please plan to arrive early. If your plans change and you cannot attend, please let us know so we can issue a refund and transfer your reservation to a guest on the waitlist.

About Rest Within the Wake

James Allister Sprang (2008 YoungArts Winner in Visual Arts) describes the Listening Session as an opportunity to turn away from the frantic pace of the modern world. Rest Within the Wake is a 50-minute musical composition that anchors a session of somatic listening. Written 60 feet beneath the surface of the Caribbean Sea, the work is intimately tethered to In the Wake, written by Christina Sharpe; Black Interior, written by Elizabeth Alexander; and Inciting Joy, written by Ross Gay.

The score features 11 first and second chair musicians, a Yamaha sponsored pianist, the Artistic Director of Louis Armstrong Museum on drums and Grammy-winning vocalists. The genre is orchestral spiritual jazz.

Sprang welcomes visitors to bring something comfortable to lie on/with to tune in to your bodies, your ancestors, your traumas, your pain, your longings, visions, and dreams. Yoga mats will be provided.

“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

About James Allister Sprang

The son of Caribbean immigrants, Sprang considers his relationship to Diasporic timelines while weaving together his multimedia work. This work is informed by the Black interior as well as radical and experimental traditions. Sprang’s work lives in gallery spaces, theater spaces and the space between the ears. In 2022, Sprang was awarded both the Pew Fellowship and the Knight Foundation Art + Tech Fellowship for his work with the only 4DSound system in America. James has exhibited at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, The Brooklyn Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Museum, Storm King Art Center, The Kitchen, Baryshnikov Arts, The Public Theater, TATE Modern (UK), and MONOM (Germany), among others. His work has been reviewed in ArtForum, Art in America and Art Papers.

Rest Within the Wake Team

Lead Artist: James Allister Sprang

Musicians: Jake Goldbas (Percussion), 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)

Sheet Music Transcription Assistant: Benjamin Louis Brody

Recording Engineer: Brendan McGeehan

Sound Technician: Chris Gaskell

Project Manager: Marin Day

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Tickets: $15.00 per person

Session starts promptly at 11:30 AM

Guests should plan to arrive early for this event as late arrivals will not be allowed into the session.

YoungArts Jewel Box - 2nd Floor

2100 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33137

Complimentary valet will be available on-site; rideshare is encouraged.

Host or Publisher YoungArts