Word (the remix)

press release: An upcoming art performance will remix language, sound, and visual art to explore a central concept. Word (the remix) takes read poetry, music, and ambient sound to create something new – chopped up, layered, repeated, illuminated. This art event will be presented live in an outdoor space in Madison, accompanied by the live painting of a mural by an accomplished graffiti artist. Organized by Charles Monroe-Kane, Word (the remix) is free and open to the public. 

The performance will take place Monday, September 16, from 6 to 9 pm, 

at Momentum Art Tech at 195 Cottage Grove Road.

Charles Monroe-Kane says the intention is to venerate words. “Love. Grief. God. Birth. Death. Religions have been founded, wars waged, and epic myths created in response to such words. Words like these can evoke great passion; they are bigger than linear, logical, or grammatical explanations. Sometimes certain words call for further, deeper exploration—to be torn apart and put back together again. Like the Siren Song they entice us, though threatening, to obsession.” 

Five area poets were given the same word, a word powerful and rich with possibilities. Each poet wrote a poem inspired by that word. Sound designer Charles Monroe-Kane took the audio of each poet reading their work and remix them all live with ambient sound and music.

This “word remix” will be accompanied by a graffiti artist painting a mural live during the performance revealing the word the poets were given.

An Instagram account will house the audio and visual presentation and invite others to share their expressions of the word.

The participants:

Sound Designer – Charles Monroe-Kane. Charles is a Peabody award-winning interviewer and senior producer for the national public radio show To the Best of Our Knowledge and author of the memoir, “Lithium Jesus”.

Poet – Oscar Mireles. Oscar is the Poet Laureate of Madison. He has been the Executive Director of Omega School for the past 22 years. Omega School provides adult basic education services (GED Preparation).

Poet – Dana Maya. Dana has been published in Feminist Formations, Volta, the anthology Listen to Your Mother, and more. She is active in public writing projects such as the Spontaneous Writing Booth.

Poet – Rita Mae Reese. Rita’s poetry has been widely published, including the books, “The Book of Hulga” and “The Alphabet Conspiracy”. She serves as co-director of literary arts programming at Madison’s Arts + Literature Laboratory (ALL).

Poet – Rob “Dz” Franklin. Rob Dz is a hip hop artist and poet who has worked with the likes of Nas, Common, Talib Kweli, and Blackalicious to name only a few. His work for the Madison Public Library won him the prestigious National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the award was presented by First Lady Michelle Obama.

Poet - Alex Vartan Gubbins. Alex’s poems have appeared in the North American Review, WLA Journal, and And Here: 100 Years of Upper Peninsula Writing, 1917-2017. His Arabic poetry translations are published in Metamorphoses, Diode, and Asymptote Journal. He’s lived in Armenia and the Arab world. 

Graffiti Artist – James Gubbins. James is the owner of Momentum Art Tech in Madison, a graffiti art-centered supply store. He also connects area graffiti artists with businesses to create murals. His clients include Promega and Food Fight among others.

This art performance is independently organized with special mention to the participating poets and artists, as well as Momentum Art Tech. https://www.facebook.com/events/378441746407607/  for details.