The first half of the Blitt Fellows performance centered on the theme of outer space, and the second half explored the deep sea. As a soundscape infused the Rita Blitt Gallery, Camry and Owen recited poetry and played the Coloratura. One performer read texts aloud while the other dipped digitally coded brushes, each assigned a musical note and a paint color, into a bowl of water. Sounds and colors emerged as the brushes touched the water. After each half of the performance, they dipped a square of silk into the bowl to capture the abstract visual compositions.
2024 Irwin Blitt Fellowship Reflection
The journey that Camry Ivory and I went on transcended just a fellowship assignment. Before we talked about performing, we got to know each other. The two of us got to speak philosophically and about our views on life and the world. Learning where our perspectives aligned carved a path that formed the direction of this journey. We talked about making our performance a form of escapism from the realities of life and the weight of an election year.
As I got to know Camry more, I learned how extensive her experience in abstract art is. She introduced me to her invention, the Coloratura, which proved her to be a pioneer and a modern-day genius. Camry is carving new paths for women in abstract art.
Learning about the Coloratura made me go back to the drawing board on how I process art and shifted my inspiration in a unique way. Because of the nature of her invention, I could not write music in a two-dimensional way for this project. This encouraged me to learn a new program, one that allowed me to create live, spontaneous music.
When we finally decided the theme of our performance, we centered it around the two most vast and unknown places: outer space and the deep ocean. Our romanticization of these locations comes from the infinite possibilities that each can bring to one’s mind just by focusing on them. We wanted to aid in provoking that thought, which we believed would lead to a form of escapism. Performing in front of Rita Blitt’s Aspen Dawn abstract painting totally inspired and drove our point home, depicting the sparseness and vastness of the two environments we set out to create. Overall, we hope that this performance will be a timeless piece.
—Owen Scott
