Inspired by both experimental band formats and futurism, I Sing the Body Cybernetic presents mannequins outfitted with wearable electronics that serve as instruments as well as augmentations. Over the course of the installation, one band per month will periodically activate the wearable electronics, performing sound pieces which are composed algorithmically using custom software. Using various creative coding techniques, screens in the background will play a combination of original lyrics and performative vignettes. At the end of each month, Blalock will make a guest appearance with the band via live streamed video. This virtual component marks the end of the work for that particular band, at which time the mannequins are re-configured, the augmentations are changed, and a new band representing a different genre is introduced for the month. Each of the three bands take aesthetic cues from variations on genres such as new wave, post hardcore, art rock, and experimental music.

About Lee Blalock
Lee Blalock is a Chicago based artist and educator presenting alternative and hyphenated states of being through technology-mediated processes. Inspired by science fiction, futurism, and technology itself, the work is an exercise in body modification by way of amplified behavior or “change-of-state”.

Blalock also works under the moniker of L[3]^2, whose most recent live work embraces noise and fissure as a natural state of being for bodies living in the information age. By superimposing custom module based “Instr/augment” systems (sy5z3ns) onto performers, L[3]^2 creates conditions for meditation in the form of generative and repetitive behavior in an experimental band format. Blalock is an Assistant Professor in the Art and Technology Studies Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She holds an Master of Fine Arts from SAIC, and a Bachelor of Science from Spelman College.

About Experimental Sound Studio:
Experimental Sound Studio (ESS) is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization dedicated to artistic evolution and the creative exploration of sound. As an international hub for sonic experimentation, ESS nurtures artists, heralds new works, and builds a broad, supportive community of makers, enthusiasts, and creative partners through production, presentation, education, and preservation.

Founded in 1986 by Dawn and Lou Mallozzi, Eric Leonardson, and Perry Venson, ESS has occupied its Edgewater location since 2006. The facility is home to a full-service recording, mixing, and mastering studio for hire; Audible Gallery, a small public space for exhibitions, meetings, workshops, performances, and artists’ projects; and the Creative Audio Archive—an invaluable collection of recordings, print, and visual ephemera related to avant-garde and exploratory sound and music of the last five decades. ESS presents eclectic performance and installation programming, workshops, and artist talks year round—both in the various spaces around the studio and at partner venues around Chicago.

The Experimental Sound Studio is ADA compliant, please contact Adam Vida at adam@ess.org with any questions regarding accessibility or special accommodations.

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Tags: Chicago, Experimental Sound Studio, I Sing the Body Cybernetic, Lee Blalock, Ravenswood