I CARE IF YOU LISTEN
Doug Aitken’s Multisensory Exploration of Time Premieres at LA Phil’s Noon to Midnight
on November 20, 2024 at 6:00 am
When we think of arts institutions as bastions of culture, thought, and innovation, it’s hard to come up with an orchestra doing a better job than the Los Angeles Philharmonic. While their programming certainly doesn’t lack the “classics” that orchestras often rely on to fill seats, they’ve also modeled a more forward-thinking approach.
Thanks to a curious and eccentric LA crowd that is always eager to check out something new, the Nov. 16 world premiere of Doug Aitken’s Lightscape sold out Walt Disney Concert Hall during “Noon to Midnight: Field Recordings,” a 12-hour contemporary music festival featuring performances and art installations in every corner of the hall.
Referenced rather nebulously as an “artwork,” Lightscape is part feature-length film, part art installation, part musical performance. The work is both old and new, rural and metropolitan, and a myriad of other juxtapositions that are all linearly connected. The music and the imagery move through time seamlessly, with each moment reaching back to pull the next one into its place. Pitches linger until they transform into a new piece; faces ripple into each other while searing dissonances fester.
Thanks to a curious and eccentric LA crowd that is always eager to check out something new, the Nov. 16 world premiere of Doug Aitken’s Lightscape sold out Walt Disney Concert Hall during “Noon to Midnight: Field Recordings,” a 12-hour contemporary music festival featuring performances and art installations in every corner of the hall.
Referenced rather nebulously as an “artwork,” Lightscape is part feature-length film, part art installation, part musical performance. The work is both old and new, rural and metropolitan, and a myriad of other juxtapositions that are all linearly connected. The music and the imagery move through time seamlessly, with each moment reaching back to pull the next one into its place. Pitches linger until they transform into a new piece; faces ripple into each other while searing dissonances fester.
In its multiplicity, Lightscape urges the viewer to interrogate how the passing of time changes the world around us. At a moment when many may be struggling to look toward the future, the work leaves room for interpretation as it sits at the intersection of different styles, themes, and artistic mediums. For those who couldn’t snag a ticket to the premiere, Lightscape will be showcased as a large-scale art installation at the Marciano Art Foundation from Dec. 17, 2024 – Mar. 15, 2025.