Electric Eyes: New Music and Media Festival

The Southern Theater has a long history of smashing genres and introducing challenging new work. So when artistic director Jeff Bartlett describes the Electric Eyes: New Music and Media Festival as an “attempt to break out of the mold of things we’re doing,” it should peek your curiosity. 

What is it? It’s a festival of five newly commissioned works that challenge the ways we look at music and electronics. The Southern sought artists whose cross-disciplinary work fell between the cracks of arts programming.

How were the artists found? In addition to putting out calls through traditional means, the Southern posted flyers in bars and music clubs and sent out e-mails that were forwarded from artist to artist. Bartlett says a typical call for work gets about forty proposals. Electric Eyes received ninety.

What should I expect? Depending on the night, it could be a reconstruction of the film Metropolis with live music and aerial artists; a remixing of classic Argentinean tango films with live performances of compositions by nuevo-tango master Astor Piazzola; a duet for violin and video; a pair of electronically wired gloves triggering electronic sounds to the accompaniment of a live string quartet; or a musical theater work that picks up where Dr. Strangelove left off.

Is it art or weirdness? Bartlett says they were looking beyond technology for “true artistic exploration that had integrity and meat on its bones,”—it looks like they succeeded.

Can I be in this? Maybe. The Southern is already taking proposals for next year’s festival. Find out more at the Southern Theater website.

May 11–20. 1420 Washington Ave. S., Mpls., 612-340-1725