Summer 2021

I feel like the reclusion and uncertainty of the pandemic made existing among others feel harder than it used to. It’s suddenly an enormous drain to connect and keep meaningful conversations afloat. Maybe I lost what little tolerance for it that I had and have fully embraced my inner Hermit. The rhythm certainly agrees with me.

Artist in residence

I’m currently 6 weeks into an 8 week residency in central New York at Stone Quarry Hill Art Park where I am building a floating sculpture to be displayed for the public, August 20 and 27. The 2-night event was just opened to the public today and I was told our slots are almost full so if you’re in the area and want to come .. shoot me a message.

I’ve been finding a lot of peace away from the pressures of life here. The grounds are beautiful and the landscape is so lush and green and despite what people say about New Yorkers, I’ve found them to be warm and welcoming. :) It’s rained quite a lot .. which has been amazing because it never rains in LA, but now I find myself missing the always bike-able weather of California. I composed the song below a couple weeks ago .. it has rain and thunder samples from the park.

A PODCAST

I was recently interviewed by the incredible creative forces that are Joel Krieger and Pavani Yalla for a brilliant new podcast they have put together that sheds light on people in the design community who feel a calling to use our skills in service of changing how we exist, our way of relating to the earth and our way of relating to each other. Right up my alley. It was an honor and incredibly fun. They’ve really got something great. I have enjoyed every episode and I encourage you to give it a listen.

In Joel’s words: “Outside In is a podcast about experience design for change. We’ll journey out to the margins to discover design insights in unexpected places. Our episodes will cover a kaleidoscope of experience — from wilderness treks to VR films, communal festivals to immersive theater and beyond. In each episode, we’ll deconstruct an experience with its creator — together, revealing strategies, insights and techniques for transformative experience design.”

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Google Podcasts

Alueria at The Falls of Ohio

LightFall is a place where art and nature collide to ignite our interest in, and love of, the natural spaces that have shaped our community. Designed in partnership with the Falls of the Ohio Foundation and River Heritage Conservancy, LightFall connects people to the historically significant landscapes of our river parks through art that inspires exploration and creativity.

I am honored to be the inaugural artist for this event at The Falls of Ohio, a site that brought great joy to my Mother and to our family. Alongside a fantastic team composed of local artist and musician WG Rickel, David Howe whom I bring with me from LA and a handful of devoted volunteers, I will be creating my largest meditative, immersive light and sound experience to date.  

Borrowing from a fungus endemic to Indiana, I titled the piece, 'Alueria’. Just as mycorrhizal networks connect individual plants together to transfer water, carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrients and minerals. I see the plant world as a site of teaching for humanity; The network encourages empathy in the plant world, a shared consciousness, a shared mission. If help is needed, the message goes out and neighboring plants react. Plants will actually share resources. It’s fascinating and relevant. We should be tuning in to each other like that. And I believe we can.

Alueria invites synchronicities and resonances between us and the environment’s resplendence. The work offers a distinct opportunity to experience an empathetic bridge between the constellation of beings, seen and unseen, known and unknown. I hope you'll join us. General admission tickets are here and if you’re interested in our special donor event party on opening night, September 8, shoot me a message me and I’ll get you there. 

Collaborators:
WG Rickel - Sound design and creative support
David Howe of Lightriders - Technical support

Partners:
The Falls of Ohio Foundation
River Heritage Conservancy
SoIN Tourism
Louisville Public Media

Made possible with grants from Bales Foundation and Samtec

ALASKA!!!!!!

Like many of you, my year has been thrown (to put it mildly) by fortuitous events. Cancellations, delays and aggressive pivoting have been the name of the game. Fortunately, because my work is already designed to be experienced in nature, contemplatively, in silence and isolation, I’m a perfect fit for the direction public art must take in our post-apocalyptic present. It’s finally necessary to experience art outside the walls of a museum. I’m not exactly sure what that means for fine art, but I’m not here to solve that. I’m here to make cool shit in cool places that gets people moving and feeling and connecting with each other and nature.

Cut to Alaska.

I’m flying (Oh Dear God) with my amazing tech lead and programmer, David Howe on Friday to install my largest exhibit to date. I’ll have 2 separate locations running at the Anchorage Museum and .. my fav .. a more guerilla style piece for one-night somewhere in the wild. I’ll let you know where when I know myself. ;)

I was lucky enough to get to work with the talented WG Rickel on this soundscape. Always a treat. It’s sampled in the video but you can listen to the entire 16 minute mediation in stereo below. I recommend good headphones.

Soundscape for Haustoria. A light and sound experience by Annie Mitchell. This was composed by the amazing WG Rickel with the help of recordings by the Anchorage Museum's sound ecologists.

Day Forty-Seven

Day 47 without human touch. I drove up the Pacific Coast to the only beach that is open to the public and sat on the rocks for a few hours feeling the sun warm my skin, listening to the waves crash against the rocks, remembering what it feels like to be human. I drove and drove. Into the hills, through the canyons, stopping occasionally to take in the view. The sky was clear and blue and you could see for miles and miles.

Los Angeles, you sure are beautiful.