Re-Site: James Allister Sprang – Listening Session #1: Aquifer of the Ducts

One of five artists of Re-Site 2.0, a site-specific, temporary public art project and Portland history-telling initiative, James Allister Spraing presents two guided listening sesisons at the historic Abyssinian Meeting House, the third-oldest standing African American meeting house in the U.S.

Limited capacity: 30 seats

Please email [email protected] if you need accomodations. Yoga mats will be provided. Note: There is no heat in the building. We recommend bringing an extra layer depending on the weather.

Acclaimed artist James Allister Sprang describes the Listening Session as an opportunity to turn away from the frantic pace of the modern world. Sprang welcomes audiences to join him at Abyssinian House for three sessions of communal somatic listening. He invites you 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.

Rest Within the Wake, Aquifer of the Weave and Aquifer of the Ducts are three vastly different original compositions recorded and produced between 2020-23. All within the realm of multi-instrumental, experimental, through composed spiritual “vibes.” Each anchoring 60-minute sessions of somatic listening.

Sprang will lead audiences through breathing exercises and then into each session.

“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

“No, we are not monuments. But what Sprang reaches for here – and in my opinion achieves poignantly – is a monumental endeavor.” - Portland Press Herald

Bio

The son of Caribbean immigrants, Sprang considers his relationship to Diasporic timelines while weaving together his multimedia work, to create sensory poems for the spirit. 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.

A graduate of the Cooper Union (BFA) and the University of Pennsylvania (MFA), Sprang has completed numerous residencies domestically and internationally including MONOM, Shandaken, YoungArts, Baryshnikov Arts Center, The Public Theater, BHQFU, Fountainhead, FringeArts and The Kitchen. Sprang has shown and/or performed at The Brooklyn Museum, TATE Museum, PAFA Museum, The Aldrich Museum, The Kitchen, Storm King Art Center, The Public Theater, Baryshnikov Arts Center, The Margulies Collection, David Nolan Gallery, The Apollo Theater, Pioneer Works, On The Boards, Northwest Film Forum, Knockdown Center and The Painted Bride Art Center.

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 orchestra musicians, Mathis Picard on keys, Jake Goldbas on percussion, Starr Busby as lead vocalist supported by members from the Grammy-winning The Crossing Choir. The genre is orchestral spiritual jazz.

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

Host or Publisher SPACE