SCULPTURE + MUSIC EQUALS KINETIC’ S NEW PROJECT
The complexities of life will come to light this weekend in a nonlinear journey of sight and sound.
Inspired by the moment of an inflection point, Sebastian Stefanovic of Houston’s artist-led ensemble Kinetic has fashioned mathematical beauty into a bold musical display that complements Tracey Meyer’s sculptural exploration titled “What Shapes Us.”
On Nov. 29, the young violist and three fellow musicians — violinists Samuel Park and Nathan Lowry and cellist Bree Ahern — will perform in themidst of the artist’s third solo exhibit, and her first at Archway Gallery, in “Points of Inflection.” Marking the second concert in Kinetic’s sixth season, the free livestreamed event, filmed by Ben Doyle, will feature three string quartets interspersed with two brief video introductions to Meyer’s artwork and Stefanovic’s programming by the creatives themselves.
“All the sculptures are very geometric and have a lot of small surface detail that comes together to create an overall form,” said Stefanovic, a Baltimore native whomoved to Houston in 2015 to attend Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where he is currently pursuing hismaster’s degree. “That’s kind of the aesthetic textural side of it, and then, on the other side of it, she talks about how these things represent imagined lives to her.”
In the series, Meyer employs rag paper, wood and ceramic to create a physical manifestation of how personal experiences — whether small or large, tranquil or tumultuous — shape identity. Together, the curls and waves of the different pieces, given texture by carefully cut apertures, symbolize decisions, choices and reactions, or inflection points along the constant ebb and flow of life. One’s story continues to unfold, even as one’s past remains, as portrayed in the lively shadows that each colorfully painted structure casts onto its support.
Using her thorough representations as a foundation, Stefanovic — who also serves as co-founder and artistic director of the Verreaux Collective, an organization that brings high-quality chamber music to TheWoodlands — has curated a musical evening that similarly delves into the ways that various turning points impact existence.
The edgy program transitions from Caroline Shaw’s “Entr’acte,” in which the award-winning Rice alumna expands upon the Haydn minuet and trio form, into the hauntingly beautiful “Contritus” by Caleb Burhans.
“From the first couple chords, this piece just kind of blewmy mind,” he said. “It’s a very long arc of a piece, and yes, it changes, but the changes are so subtle.”
These incremental steps to
ward a more in-depth narrative reminded Stefanovic of Meyer’s process. Approaching even the most minute details with precision, she built a comprehensive exhibit of expressions that are equally captivating observed from afar as they are seen up close.
To conclude the evening, Stefanovic draws a final parallel between the abstract series and Philip Glass’ pulsing String Quartet No. 3 “Mishima” — an association he described as “a cliché for a reason.” The six-movement piece is based on the composer’s score for the 1985 Paul Schrader film “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters,” which illustrates moments in the controversial life of Japanese writer Yukio Mishima.