About
Winter (Snowflake Bentley and cold inventions) is an audiovisual performance that incorporates hand-drawn animations, icicles, flannel, interactive video and sound. The work travels under the Wolf Moon as temperatures drop, darkness lingers and snow mounds grow. Live improvisatory drawings capture the introspective nature of someone confronted with stillness and quiet in the dead of winter.
The work also celebrates the inventiveness of Wilson A. Bentley, also known as Snowflake Bentley. Snowflake Bentley was a Vermont farmer who pioneered photomicrography while becoming the first person photograph a snow crystal in 1885. Influenced by Bentley’s ingenuity, artist Sean Clute creates custom built software, a MIDI controller, various drawing apparatus and video projection used in this performance.
The sound will feature a live performance and composition by Otto Muller. Drawing upon sources as diverse as climate data sets and folk ballads about freezing, the sound palette integrates homemade instruments, digital processing, and field recordings in a series of sonic explorations of cold and its role in the rural identity of Vermont.
Credits
Sean Clute – Video, animation, programming, performance
Otto Muller – Composition, homemade instruments, performance
Pauline Jennings – Lighting
Leif Hunneman – Video documentation
Thank you to Highlight Burlington for funding this project
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