If we listen to the objects around us, what would we hear them say? What stories would they tell through the sounds they make? Join the Henry and Jack Straw Cultural Center as we welcome sound artist Susie Kozawa in an online, instrument-making workshop in which we’ll repurpose common household materials to find their magical, sonic qualities. Susie will demonstrate how she achieves volume, tone, and texture through her handmade instruments, and then lead participants in creating a series of collaborative soundscapes with the instruments we make. After the workshop, Jack Straw will share an edited audio file featuring the sound stories that emerge during our time together.
This workshop is appropriate for ages 7 and up (adult collaborators recommended for younger participants) and is limited to 12 screens; families and other household groups should register for one ticket (one screen per household). Please register by March 29 to receive a short list of household items to have on hand for the workshop, as well as brief, preparatory instructions.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Susie Kozawa is a Seattle-based sound artist, composer, and performer who works with sound collages and site-specific installations in which the gathering of sounds is a primary activity. She explores different acoustic spaces using musical instruments that she makes out of found objects (kelp, modified toys, cardboard rolls, jars, etc.). Creating live sound design and soundscapes for dance, theater, and film productions, Kozawa has participated in a "live spectacle performance" of Guy Madden’s silent film Brand Upon The Brain! that performed in Seattle, Portland, Sao Paulo, and Winnipeg. She has also contributed to sound and sound effects in the films Torrey Pines (Petersen 2016) and When Herons Dream By the Salish Sea (Gregory 200912), and she participated in Stuart Dempster’s “Bull Roarchestra” performance, in conversation with the Henry’s Ann Hamilton: the common S E N S E exhibition (2015). She is a member of the Seattle Phonographers Union and has received awards from the Seattle Arts Commission, Artist Trust, Washington State Arts Commission, and the Ford Foundation.