Kallmyer participated in a two-week residency at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation in the fall of 2015, where he collected and refined clay from the banks of the Mississippi River to make earthenware musical instruments in collaboration with ceramicist Dan Barnett. Derived from the common brick architecture in St. Louis, Chris attempted to create a kind of ‘future folk music’ through hyper-regional materials and communally authored music. The ceramic chimes were used in a workshop and performance for 250 local people who came to listen, reflect, watch the moving light within Tadao Ando’s building in central St. Louis.
WORKSHOP DOCUMENTATION
Inspired by the works on view by Alexander Calder, Richard Tuttle, and Fred Sandback, Kallmyer also brought together a group of local artists and activists to understand the social and natural landscapes of St. Louis. By encouraging multiple kinds of dialogue—among diverse creators and artists, between art and environment — Kallmyer used sound as a means to reconnect with spaces, traditions, and communities. The purpose of the workshop was to create a functioning rapport through which the group would create collectively authored music that began and ended Commonfield Clay. Over the day, the collective discussed the city, brick history, brick theft, the year since Michael Brown’s death, the nature of race + terrain, and their own relationship to the larger story about St. Louis + the nation. Here are some highlights from this conversation featuring layered stories by Michael Allen, Cheeraz Gorman & Kevin McCoy. Check out these excerpts and click through to read the conversations in whole.
PERFORMANCE DOCUMENTATION
The residency concluded on Saturday, September 5, with a public performance that brought together the local partners and the handmade instruments. Composed on site by Kallmyer and musician Andrew Tholl to respond to the durational qualities of the art on view, this piece invited the Pulitzer’s audiences to experience and enjoy the building through joyful noise and careful music.
