tamatz kahullumary (in search of the blue deer), a breeze rippled, is my recent collaboration with Philip Glass and the Wixáritari musicians, Daniel Medina de la Rosa and Erasmo Medina Medinais is a collage which takes the form of a sculptural box when combined. Each box is handmade from curly walnut. Inside, one discovers a unique painting of mine using coloration and movement reflective of the Wixáritari deities, as well as, the only pressings of Glass's first U.S. performance with the Wixáritari musicians. It is an edition of ten, produced by Eurypheus and benefitting the Glass Center.
Below are images of the edition and the official press release from Eurypheus.
tamatz kahullumary (in search of the blue deer), a breeze rippled
a eurypheus project featuring philip glass and cole sternberg
We are pleased to announce this collaborative work featuring Philip Glass, Cole Sternberg, and the Wixáritari musicians, Daniel Medina de la Rosa and Erasmo Medina Medina.
overview
in search of the blue deer, a breeze rippled was created to commemorate and the US Premiere performance of Philip Glass’ new composition The Spirit of the Earth at the eighth annual Days and Nights Festival which took place on September 30, 2018, underwritten by Eurypheus .
The work is a collage which takes the form of a sculptural box when combined. Upon opening the minimalist walnut object, one finds a painting on the left and a record floating on a pin on the right. They lay in parallel, leaving one to contemplate a Rorschach interpretation of mirrored concepts unencumbered by mirrored visuals.
The painting is that of Cole Sternberg and the vinyl a recording of Philip Glass’ The Spirit of the Earth US Premiere performance. Each work in the edition features a unique painting from Sternberg, made in response to the musical collaboration between Glass and the Wixáritari musicians, Daniel Medina de la Rosa & Erasmo Medina Medina.
The work was first showcased at the Henry Miller Library where Philip played his arrangements on the piano with the music and vocal accompaniment of Medina de la Rosa and Medina Medina, a father and son duo who traditionally play and sing sacred music for their village in Jalisco, Mexico. The concert was at once the homage and celebration of the relationship Philip has cultivated for almost two decades with the Wixáritari people. Not only was this the US premiere of the composition, but also the first voyage to the U.S. (and first plane ride) for Medina de la Rosa and Medina Medina.
The Glass Center and Orange Mountain Records granted Eurypheus the exclusive rights to the only twenty vinyl records that will exist of the US Premiere performance of The Spirit of the Earth. Each box in the edition also features a unique painting from Sternberg, created specifically for this project. The title is a note from Sternberg’s poetry, a subtle reference to the environmental link between the artists and cultures.
A portion of the proceeds from this project will be donated for future programming of The Days and Nights Festival.
the paintings
Sternberg created each of the paintings using his physical manner of environmental adaption. The pieces reference both Glass’ compositions and the color palette of the deities of the Wixáritari tribe. They are structured with three colors for the Tribe’s trinity of deities: green for the peyote, yellow for the corn and blue for the blue deer. The fourth deity of the Wixáritari, that of an eagle, is addressed in the movement of the paintings and the negative space of the bare linen. The intent is also to visually mirror the work of Glass in the pace, structure and meditative nature of their composition. They were painted outside in the woods and dragged in a lake, a conceptual comment on the aligned desires of Glass, Sternberg and the Wixáritari to preserve and respect our environment.
the vinyls
For many years, Glass has travelled to the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico to collaborate with the Wixáritari musicians Daniel Medina de la Rosa and Erasmo Medina Medina. Through the years, this trio has found a musical connection unlike any other. In September 2018, Daniel Medina de la Rosa and Erasmo Medina left their home and took their first plane ride for this U.S. Premiere performance in Big Sur. The vinyl is the exclusive pressing of this U.S. Premiere of T he Spirit of the Earth and is made by Third Man Pressing. The full 88 minute recording, which includes commentary by Philip Glass, author Victor Sanchez comes in a 2 disc set, each 12 inches in diameter of beautiful shining black vinyl and 180 gram weight for optimal sound quality and durability. No additional vinyl records of the U.S. Premiere performance will exist.
the vessel
An extension of the piece is the wood vessel it is held in. The box is exquisitely hand-milled from a single walnut tree, with rare curly pattering in the grain that gives the illusion of moving water. The lid opens with the push of a brass button and holds upright with solid brass hinges. It is meant to stimulate concepts of discovery as viewers, intrigued by the box’s beauty, open it.
the festival
Glass founded and curates the Days and Nights Festival with the mission of offering programs that combine art, science, and the environment in ways intended to capture the imagination and result in a reverence for nature and the world, and the need to protect both.
The work was first showcased at the 2018 Days and Nights Festival at the Henry Miller Library during the performance which would become the vinyl’s content. The concert was at once homage and celebration of the relationship Glass has cultivated for almost two decades with the Wixáritari people. Following the performance, Glass and Sternberg joined the private Eurypheus reception featuring the piece with art-engaged Bay Area tech founders and investors.
piece details
Each work is approximately 31” x 16” x 4” (78.7 cm x 40.6 cm x 10.2 cm). The materials used are wood, linen, watercolor, acrylic, brass and vinyl. It is an edition of ten.
the team
philip glass center: www.philipglasscenter.org
philip glass: www.philipglass.com
cole sternberg: www.colesternberg.com
daniel medina de la rosa & erasmo medina medina
Daniel Medina de la Rosa who composed lyrics to The Spirit of the Earth, sings and plays the raweri (Wixárika violin). He is a traditional Wixárika musician, keeper of a spiritual lyric heritage, which goes back many centuries before the Mexican conquest. Besides cultivating the land for his livelihood, from an early age Medina de la Rosa was touched by the gift of music which he uses as a means for sharing the experiences, visions and messages he receives from the deities during the pilgrimages and ceremonies in which he has participated and keeps participating, throughout his entire life. He says that during those experiences, when he is lucky, he dreams the songs that then he has to repeat again and again so that they are not forgotten. Erasmo Medina Medina, who plays the Wixárika guitar or kanary, is the son of Daniel Medina de la Rosa and a follower of the same tradition.
The Wixáritari are an indigenous people of Mexico, popularly known as “Huicholes,” living in the Sierra Madre Occidental range. Their religion consists of four principal deities: the trinity of Corn, Blue Deer and Peyote, and the Eagle, all descended from their Sun God, Tao Jreeku. Music and singing are an integral part of the spiritual life of the Wixáritari, and the songs from Daniel’s voice are representations of his conversations with the deities that govern the sacred places he visits.
While Glass’ friendship with Medina de la Rosa and Medina Medina started long before, their musical collaboration has been developing for almost a decade. The first public performance together took place for The Concert of the Sixth Sun in Real de Catorce, San Luis Potosí, Mexico in December 2012; followed by the premier of The Spirit of the Earth in Mexico City, December 2017. They have also recorded two albums recorded by Orange Mountain Music.
eurypheus
Eurypheus was founded by Audrey Kim in 2018. The mission is to cultivate, nurture and develop the arts with specific focus on growing engagement and patronage among the young tech community through creating special edition art project and salon type events. Tamatz Kahullumary (in search of the blue deer), a breeze rippled is the first of many upcoming special edition projects that emphasize collaboration across disciplines and creative mediums, and growing community through salon type events.
contact
Audrey Kim: audrey@eurypheus.com