New York artists Chris Klapper and Patrick Gallagher create an interactive sound and video installation on an epic scale, accompanied by Philadelphia-based Kun-Yang Lin for three solo performances.

A new work by Chris Klapper and Patrick Gallagher will be opening Saturday October 20 at the Skybox 2424 Studios. A thunderstorm contained within a series of large hand cast resin sculptures, each individual form is a unique instrument hanging 40 feet from the ceiling. Restored in 2009 with a nod to its industrial roots, the Skybox is a 7000 square foot architectural gem with a 3-story high skylight.

Suspended just within reach and activated by touch, the viewer sets the symphony in motion by gently pushing the sculptural forms which trigger the various sound elements of the storm. Sensors relay individual recordings of thunder, lightning, wind, and rain with alternating intensities to a full-scale symphony of sounds.

Acting as both conductor and musician, the viewer creates an evolving composition of atmospheric sounds, forging an environment that envelops the audience.

Housed within each resin sculpture are two video projectors employing dispersion optics to evenly fill the surface of the forms. Like giant illuminated pendulums, each sculpture radiates video projections that in their dormant state display abstractions of water droplets and slow moving clouds. As the sensors detect movement, different ranges initiate other visual elements of the storm. Once activated, the form then shifts to a swirling torrent of clouds.

In a rare solo performance, Kun-Yang Lin will create SKY DANCE, an improvisation work in response to Symphony in D Minor, the interactive sound and visual installation by New York artists, Chris Klapper and Patrick Gallagher. Lin, whose Zen-inspired practice of dance manifests in abstract works of poetic sensibility, will create an experience of dance that unfolds moment-by-moment in conversation with the striking, interactive installation.

Chris Klapper, an installation sculptor, has lived and worked in Brooklyn, NY for the past 17 years. She recently exhibited a large interactive installation at The Invisible Dog Art Center for which she received a grant from The Brooklyn Arts Council and was reviewed in the Village Voice “Best in Show” during Armory art weekend. Symphony in D Minor is in part supported by a grant from Black Rock Arts Foundation.

Klapper moderated a discussion panel on Art and Technology: How Technology is Changing Art and How We Create. She has exhibited in both solo and group shows, which included work at the Dollhaus Gallery in Brooklyn. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally in New York, Philadelphia, Oklahoma, Boston and Italy. She has appeared in articles in the New York Daily News; The Village Voice; Gallery Magazine, Ukraine; Metropolitan Home Magazine; Maison Francaise, Turkey and the Featured Artist in Bizarre Magazine, London.

Patrick Gallagher is a video and sound installation artist working with electronic mediums and moving images. He began his career producing video compositions for electronic music events and creating immersive environments in the style of pop art and expressionism. Using film as found object he explores the subtext within the language of film.

Based in Brooklyn, NY since 1996 he has continued to show regularly in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Tulsa, and recently in Viareggio and Masphra, Italy. He is a founding member of the Bushwick Art Project and a curator/director for the new media festival BAPLab’06.

Kun-Yang Lin, Artistic Director of Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers & Founder of CHI Movement Arts Center, has received numerous awards in his native Taiwan and been widely recognized in the United States and internationally for both his dancing and choreography. He has been called “an extraordinary dancer” (New York Times), “theatrical visionary…outstanding choreographer and compelling performer.” (Philadelphia Inquirer). In 2009, Lin was named by the Painted Bride Arts Center an “Artist of the City” for his outstanding contributions to the arts and culture of Philadelphia. In 2011, he was named one of 76 “Creative Connectors” by Leadership Philadelphia for his ability to bring diverse people together for positive change, and his company was featured in documentaries by PBS/WHYY in its acclaimed OnCanvas series and by MindTV’s A World of Dance in Philadelphia. Since 2003, Mr. Lin has been a Professor at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music & Dance in Philadelphia. For more information please visit: www.kunyanglin.org

OPENING: Saturday October 20 2012 7-10pm
EXHIBITION: October 20 – December 2 2012, Tuesday – Saturday 3-8pm
KUN-YANG LIN PERFORMANCES: Oct 20, 7:30pm; Nov 2, 7:30pm; Dec 2, 7:30 pm
LOCATION: Skybox @ 2424 E. York St. Philadelphia, PA 19125