AiR Statement

The work created during this residency has been an extension of a few distinct series within my oeuvre. This would include the Eggs of Ancient Birds and the Line Segment series. Both utilize a restricted approach (in materials and methodology) and the basic elements of each series is the same: composition, balance, gesture, movement, contour, texture, contrast, and color. Conceptually, the work draws heavily from my interest in music and sound. A considerable amount of my listening is devoted to homogenized instrumental ensembles, specifically for wind instruments. I attribute my initial experience with hearing a saxophone quartet recording as the spark for a creative philosophy built on expansion through limitation.

I like to consider the parallels of some of my musical activity with that of my visual. Autonomous and indeterminate methods for using ink is connected to some of my improvisational tactics as a musician and the unanticipated events of playing with others, while the line series feels connected to the linear activity of playing alone and with monophonic instruments (such as clarinets and saxophones). Whether it is sonic or optic, the content is dependent on the environment and space and the two interact and exchange information that influences moment-to-moment events. This idea relates to my experience interacting within the scholastic setting and having that exchange with faculty and students, observing how my work was effected and how my involvement affected them.

What could not be displayed was the project with some of the choir students, which furthered my audio/visual hybridization by having them create graphic scores to interpret as music. As of this writing, the piece has not been performed, but will be at the Spring Recital.

About Cooper

My name is Cooper. I was brought into existence by two people (like most of us), who both possess considerable imaginations. My father creates through carpentry, specializing in cabinetry, and is an exceptional chef, while my mother designs works in several mediums of visual art. Both have had an interest, appreciation, and intrinsic ability in a number of creative fields from early on and I would like to consider myself fortunate enough to have been predisposed to a lot of creativity, relying on it as a constant throughout my life. Though the approach to my work is predominantly self-taught, the influence and encouragement of several teachers during my academic career has helped the continuation of my work from a practical perspective. Music and sound are the deepest source of affect on my psyche.