This album is a collaboration between Marie Christine, Nicole, and Joris. Based on Marie Christine's project Hangers 101 & a Litany of Hashtags, a participatory work that creates a dialogue on the current sociopolitical climate—initiated on the 1/20/2017 presidential inauguration and culminating at the conclusion of this presidential term.
Daily visual gestures are created from hangers and other material, inspired in part by the day's news. Participants respond to the question, "How do you feel about what's happening around us and in the world?" They pause, holding hangers, adding a thread, and sharing responses, which are then turned into hashtags, i.e., #climatechange, #womensrighttochoose, #wishforpeace. These sentiments and photos are then posted on Instagram @mcayer27.
a Litany of Hashtags, the subsequent performances, include a monologue created from participant commentary and transformations of the yarned hangers. Performance artifacts become sculptural installations.
Lyrics in each track are comprised of a small selection of participants' sentiments. The music is composed in direct response to the lyrics.
released January 19, 2021
Text & Vocals, Project Leader - Marie Christine Katz
Composition & Piano, Music Director - Nicole Brancato
Composition & Piano, Collaborator - Joris Pierre Katz
Mixing & Mastering, Engineer - Joe Davi
Marie Christine Katz, born and raised in Switzerland, is an interdisciplinary artist working principally in installation and performance. She is interested in public participation and collaboration with artists of various disciplines. Her work has been described as an intuitive and spontaneous gesture in reaction to a current event or a personal situation that is then further developed over time. She works directly with issues regarding our environment and sociopolitical concerns that affect us locally and globally. She conducts workshops that encourage upcycling and human interactions and performs participatory walks for people anywhere in the world via Twitter. Walks, movement, dance, voice, improvisations, and prepared text fashioned from gathered information shape what she presents to the public.
“Piano virtuoso” (The Daily Gazette) Nicole Brancato is a forward-looking and imaginative musician. An award-winning young artist, Brancato has performed throughout America and Italy, appearing in such venues as Lincoln Center, the Guggenheim, and the 92Y, as well as the “underground” performance spaces in New York City and on New York Public Radio. She is a champion of creative and conceptual performance and has been featured in The New York Times, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, Time Out New York, and on the international television network Rai Italia. In all of her endeavors, she creates a connective, intellectual, and provocative experience for her audiences. To learn more about Nicole Brancato, visit
www.nicolebrancato.com
Joris Pierre Katz is a university student studying philosophy. He plays piano and guitar.
