This week on the Dead Hare Radio Hour we speak with musical innovator Pauline Oliveros.  

Pauline has long been on the leading edge of sonic composition working with the leading minds in music.  The bio on her website describes her in these terms . . . 

Pauline Oliveros, composer, performer and humanitarian is an important pioneer in American Music. Acclaimed internationally, for four decades she has explored sound -- forging new ground for herself and others.

Through improvisation, electronic music, ritual, teaching and meditation she has created a body of work with such breadth of vision that it profoundly effects those who experience it and eludes many who try to write about it. "On some level, music, sound consciousness and religion are all one, and she would seem to be very close to that level." John Rockwell Oliveros has been honored with awards, grants and concerts internationally. Whether performing at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., in an underground cavern, or in the studios of West German Radio, Oliveros' commitment to interaction with the moment is unchanged.

We had the pleasure of delving into her recent work that allows the physically impaired to create music with computer technology, what Deep Listening really means, and unique moments that have come to define her career. 

For further info check out these sites -

Pauline Oliveros website

Deep Listening Institute

Adaptive Use Musical Instruments    

Stuart Dempster   

San Francisco Tape Music Center

On this week's show, Chris interviews Gary Ferdman and Rik Rydant, two residents of High Falls, NY (located North and West of New Paltz, NY and South and East of Kingston, NY).  Gary and Rik have been passionately researching the details of the period of time – two and a half years – from 1946-1948 in which the artist Marc Chagall lived with his companion, Virginia Haggard, in the Hamlet of High Falls.

 Although a period that was long overlooked, even ignored (Chagall's subsequent wife Vava sought to erase the existence of Virginia Haggard - a woman he never married, but who is the mother of his son, David – from accounts of the artist's life), Chagall's time in the rural setting of High Falls was an extremely prolific one in which he created, by Gary and Rik's count approximately 100 significant works. 

The D & H Canal Museum in High Falls is presenting a documentary exhibit “Chagall in High Falls”, opening on September 3, with a reception happening that day from 5-8pm, then running through Oct 30.  A series of public events and talks will be held in connection with the exhibit.  The exhibit will feature documents linked to Chagall's life in High Falls, photographs by Charles Leirins documenting the period, and official reproductions of artwork created by Chagall in High Falls. 

A special fundraising dinner in honor of Chagall will be presented by John Novi at the Depuy Canal House

The podcast of this week's show features the extended interview with Gary and Rik which couldn't all fit into the broadcast version.  The bonus material includes more material on Chagall and the process by which Rick and Gary came to be so consumed by this story in the Hudson Valley. 

Some items referred to in this episode:

The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz

Vivian Jacobson, official Chagall lecturer, gave a talk at SUNY New Paltz in March, after which she, Rik and Gary were part of a panel with Dorsky curator, Brian Wallace discussing Chagall in High Falls.

Varian Fry helped arrange to have Chagall and other European artists to escape Nazi controlled Europe, bringing them to the US with his Emergency Rescue Committee (later known as the International Rescue Committee).

Bella Chagall, Marc's first wife is buried in a cemetary in Hastings-on-Hudson in Westchester County, NY. 

Virginia Haggard's great uncle Rider Haggard wrote King Solomon's Mines .. brother an actor.

Sidney Alexander first made mentioned Virginia Haggard and encouraged her to write her own account of her life with Chagall, which was published as: My Life With Chagall:  Seven Years with the Master as Told by the Woman Who Shared Them.

Chagall by Franz Meyer,

Benjamin Harshav's upcoming book Chagall in America is likely to incorporate information about Chagall in High Falls unearthed by Rik and Gary. 

The Pierre Matisse archive at the Morgan Library.

Mohonk which provided Chagall's son David's sole, surreptitious, souvenir from his early life in NY.

Fleurs Bella – the flower shop in NYC, owned by Chagall's granddaughter Bella Meyer. 

Get ready to hit the Mean Streets err... Main Street in Beacon, NY.

Dakin Roy at Beacon Cycles.

This week, Chris is joined on a walking tour and review of the Windows on Main St by Steve Rossi, Jennifer Mackiewicz, Matt Kinney and Angelika Rinnhofer. 

Now in it's seventh year, Windows on Main St. is a store front window based exhibit of artist installations.  This year's exhibit, organized by Melissa Tatge and Hannah Anderson features the work of over 40 artists.  Our intrepid group strolls and chats about half of the exhibit (stay tuned for the second half very soon).

This is a rough and ready recording this week.  Aside from a few adjustments to sound levels, this weeks audio has not been cut or edited....to the shagrin of Chris who finds that he was simply hogging the mic and was unable to finish many of his own sentences while, at the same time, seemingly trying to make this entire episode be all about him  (he's the host of the show - and holder of the mic.  He's a participating artist in this year's WOMS exhibit, and he co-founded the exhibit in 2005 with Karlos Carcamo (with whom we spoke in Episode 4), all of which is highly unbecoming of a seemingly objective radio host. 

As a bonus treat to you dear listener, to make up for the lapse of neutral objectivity, we have embedded a special drinking game in this Episode.  Here is the one and only rule:  Each and every time you hear Chris utter the word 'Context'  take a swig of your favorite cold syrup.  You'll be wasted in no time. 

Some images (some of them bad) of some of the things we saw.

Teresa Marra at Bank Sq Coffee House.

Cayla Lockwood at Paper Presence.

Nicole Ganas

a bad photo of the sculpture at Global Home.

Myra Kooy at RiverWinds Gallery.

Myra Kooy at RiverWinds Gallery.

Allison Braun at Play.

Amy C. Wilson at Dream in Plastic.

Lynn Isaacson & Shannon Kahan at the Cup & Saucer Tea Room.

Lily Zand at School of Jellyfish.

James Westwater at School of Jellyfish.

Beth Haber at Beacon Institute.

Chris Sanders at Zora Dora.

Cristin Hughes at Mountain Tops Outfitters Christopher Albert at Artisan Wine Shop

Check back shortly for images of the artwork the group viewed on their tour.

This week we revisit NADA Hudson, a non art fair/ sculpture installation held in Hudson, NY on July 30, 31 at the Basilica Hudson. Sarah, Matthew and Chris share their impressions of the event and we hear some sounds from the day.  

Chris speaks with:

 Nadia from the private dealer Bipolart which featured the "carton marquetry" of Andy Barrett.

Marisa Newman from Newman Popiaschvili Gallery which was presenting intricately beaded AK-47's by Artemio.

Artist Andy Meerow who, with Rose Marcus, curated Evil Freaks II, a selection of artist created "chairs".

Benjamin Tischer of Invisible Exports and Invisible Exports' featured artist Philip Von Zweck who was creating on demand editioned photocopies of artwork by other artists through the run of the weekend.

Philip von Zweck's printing station.

Matthew, Sarah and Chris speak a bit about the recent NY Times article from last weekend entitled "Williamsburg on the Hudson" by Peter Applebom, which seems particularly timely given NADA's foray into Hudson.

Blogger and former Beacon resident Phyllis Bobb reacts to the article on her blog reclaimedhome.com

Also, Leonard Nevarez (see Episode 6) responds to the article at his blog musicalurbanism.blogspot.com

Dead Hare Goes Global in this weeks podcast.   We take a wee jaunt to Manchester, England where Sarah Anderson Lock speaks with The Owl Project.

The Owl project is a “collaborative group of artists who share interests in human interaction with technology and process led art. The group currently consists of Simon Blackmore, Antony Hall and Steve Symons. Over the last few years we have become known for a distinctive range of wooden musical and sculptural instruments that critique human interaction with computer interfaces and our increasing appetite for new and often disposable technologies.” So if you ever wondered what a iPod might look like in a wood version, you need to check out these guys.

Sarah talks with the group about a very exciting project they have going called Flow, which is a part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad in London.  I’ll let the interview speak for itself.

We are hoping to also get some of their music up here in a jiffy.

Enjoy!