The Manual Project to Debut in Delaware County, NY Venues

Experimental Sound & Video Project is a Meditation on Cognitive Dissonance

Delhi, NY -- The Manual Project, an experimental sound and video project created by visual artist Christina Hunt Wood, musicians Julie Licata and Darwin Marcus Johnson, and sound engineer Andris Balins, debuts this week at two locations—Muddy River Farm Brewery in Unadilla at Bushel Collective in Delhi.

“The project borrows from the “how-to video” genre and examines the normalization of the absurd—and the disorientation felt when in dialogue with it,” explained Christina Hunt Wood. “It’s a meditation on cognitive dissonance.”

According to Wood, The Manual Project provides instructional narrative to accomplish specific tasks, such as saddling a horse. The narratives are deconstructed and rebuilt to sound believable and absurd at the same time. Conceptually, the project is dynamic and includes several variations with room for additional videos and/or live performances in the future.

A screening of the The Manual Project's current iteration and a reception is scheduled from 7-8:30pm, Thursday, December 16 at Muddy River Farm Brewery in Unadilla. The tasting room will be open to attendees and the video will be projected on an outdoor screen and looped throughout the evening. Muddy River is located at 15544 County Hwy 23 in Unadilla. Masks are required indoors.

Additionally, a screening and discussion with Christina Hunt Wood, Julie Licata, and Darwin Marcus Johnson is scheduled for 5-6pm, Saturday, December 18 at Bushel Collective in Delhi. Seating is limited and pre-registration is required. Bushel is located at 106 Main St., Delhi. Masks are required. Register at: www.bushelcollective.org/events/the-manual-project/

The Manual Project is made possible in part with funds from the Delaware County Arts Grants, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the New York State Legislature and administered in Delaware County by the Roxbury Arts Group.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Christina Hunt Wood is a multimedia artist exploring her rural, predominantly white community’s relationship with race and everyday expressions of power. Her work was recently exhibited at Collar Works (Troy, NY), Fenimore Art Museum (Cooperstown, NY), and The Painting Center (NYC). Wood earned her MFA in Visual Arts from Lesley Art+Design and her BA in Studio Art from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Julie Licata is a percussionist, improvisor, collaborator, and music educator. She maintains an active performance career as soloist and chamber musician, performing improvisational soundscapes, musical theater, solo marimba, works with live digital and analog processing, and more. Julie is currently Associate Professor of Percussion at SUNY Oneonta where she teaches percussion and drumset, West African and Brazilian drumming, Balinese gamelan, West Sumatran folk percussion music, and a seminar course about music cultures around the world.

Darwin Marcus Johnson is an experimental musician living in Delhi, NY. In the ’90’s Darwin was the lead vocalist of the underground Brooklyn based post-funk band The Pleasure Unit. He produces live music shows in and around Delaware County NY. Darwin’s primary instruments for his musical exploration are acoustic and electronic banjos. Darwin runs a data focused IT consultancy and is co-founder of an education focused electronic game development company.

Andris Balins is a recording studio professional with over 15 years of experience. In his career, he has worked with countless artists including Nels Cline, Lana Del Ray, and Sean Lennon. Balins teaches audio arts at SUNY Oneonta and recently earned his master’s degree from the Cooperstown Graduate Program.