Shoreline at Black’s Beach with Charles Curtis
by Alison Knowles
Shoreline is an event score given to outdoor airings. The piece has been done in Miami at the Subtropics Festival, and last year in Newcastle, England at the Waygood Gallery. This past week we did it again by the Pacific Ocean in San Diego.
As we approached the cliffs the wind and rain were fierce. We waited in cars and truck until the rain stopped. It was gray and very cold. Suddenly Charles Curtis glanced at the sky and said. “Let’s do it now.” It was noon in mid February 2008.
As we approached the cliffs the wind and rain were fierce. We waited in cars and truck until the rain stopped. It was gray and very cold. Suddenly Charles Curtis glanced at the sky and said. “Let’s do it now.” It was noon in mid February 2008.
The event score reads like this:
shoreline
connect apparel, toys and shoes, scarves and hats altogether in a line and place along the shore of any sea
We traveled the sewing machines, staple guns, needles and thread, set up the table and started to work. Separating the clothing into conceptual groups like “silk and something blue” or “why did you leave me.” Students in the music Dept of Charles Curtis at UCSD had composed these idea cards to sort out the piles of clothing. Rocks were used to keep the connected line of apparel on the sand against the rising wind.
In the adventure of the afternoon Charles performed a notation I had made for him titled Rice and Beans on an old cello weathered for the beach. The score was held up by six people thus preventing the wind from tearing it apart. He interpreted the score using three different bows. Wind and Sea accompanied the weathered cello, inspiring awe.
This work will be performed in New York at the Miguel Abreu Gallery at 36 Orchard Street, NYC, indoors in a warm room, on the 25th of March at 8:00pm. There will be a piece by John Cage as well.
I am deeply grateful to Charles Curtis for providing us all such a wild experience in new music on Black’s Beach.
I am deeply grateful to Charles Curtis for providing us all such a wild experience in new music on Black’s Beach.
