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Florasonic: Laura Ortman – The Southwest Northeast Back and Forth Bows
June 11 @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Opening: Sunday, May 18, 2025 2:00 PM
Listen through August 31 during Conservatory open hours
Fern Room at Lincoln Park Conservatory
2391 N. Stockton Drive, Chicago
Free admission with reservation
As part of its ongoing Florasonic series, ESS presents The Southwest Northeast Back and Forth Bows, a new work by Laura Ortman, spatialized by Kari Watson.
The Southwest Northeast Back and Forth Bows features layered recordings of traditional Apache violin and symphonic amplified violin. Captured in a series of live studio sessions with ESS engineer Kate In, the performances blend expressive over-rosining techniques, subtle under-amplification, and nuanced phrasing to draw out the unique textures and tonal character of each instrument.
The Apache violin and the amplified violin are positioned in the southwest and northeast corners of the installation space, symbolically anchoring the sounds to their origins: Apache lands in Arizona and the urban wilderness of New York City, where Ortman has lived and worked since 1997.
The full 28-minute piece is spatially arranged by sound artist Kari Watson, who creates an immersive sonic environment that invites focused listening and physical exploration of the sound field.
