Creatures is an evening-length concert work for classical guitar, surround sound electronics, and video installation. It is a collaboration between composer/guitarist Rusty Banks (TSOM faculty member), collage artist Dan Zdilla (MU alum), and video artist/lighting designer Andy Babin.
Banks conceived the work as an instrumental piece for classical guitar and surround sound electronics. Each movement depicts a creature ever-present in the composer Banks’ childhood conscience: The firefly, hellbender, doodle bug, ivory-billed woodpecker, loup garough, and hoop snake. About the creatures, Banks says “Some actually exist, some don’t. But all of them split the difference between the mythical and the real.”
After viewing an exhibit of Zdilla’s collages in a local gallery, Banks approached him about creating works based on the creatures. The results are six meticulously created works made entirely from pieces of National Geographic Magazines. Zdilla deconstructs the original found imagery into scraps and bits of formal elements such as color, value and texture and then reassembles these elements into new images. Although essentially ‘painting’ with paper, there is a history and provenance inherent in each scrap. “It was a fun challenge bringing these creatures to life using a nontraditional medium,” says Zdilla of the undertaking.
Noted lighting/video designer, Babin (with generous tech support from 4-Wall Entertainment) created animations to be projected behind the performer using high resolution scans of Zdilla’s work. The overall effect is like walking into the collages and exploring the landscape within.
The music ranges from ambient to experimental to lyrical, with the sounds of the classical guitar moving throughout the space in a way that leaves the listener immersed in a sonic mist. At times soothing, at times unsettling, the altered guitar sounds moving from the front of the audience to the back of the room can warp the listeners’ concept of the space they are occupying. The sound of a plucked string might crescendo, detune, and move around the room. The listener might wonder if the guitar can really do that—or is just a myth?
Public ticket type includes adults, senior citizens, and visiting students. MU Students will receive up to one (1) free ticket with a valid MU ID at a box office location. Advanced ticket reservations are strongly encouraged. MU Student discount tickets are subject to availability at the door.
