Paul Slocum is a Texan artist with a computer science degree who creates original music and video with obsolete computers and videogame consoles like the Commodore 64 and the Atari 2600. The 'partisanship' that inspires Slocum, urges him to achieve unique objects like the conversion, through firmware (EPROM) re-programming of an old Epson LQ500 printer into a real music machine. One of his recent (many) projects is 'Deep House for Symphonic Band and Choir', an installation that the author defines as a "dance hit composed for high school or college band and choir." He has placed on a wall a series of music scores, one for each of the involved instruments, in a space marked off by two grow lights. In front of the wall there are two speakers playing a looped track with orchestral / choir elements arranged in a typical deep house melody and structure. The most fascinating installation element are the signs on these scores. On one hand they seem completely abstract and contemporary, on the other hand, they are the true transcription on a stave of notes floating everyday around us. We are facing here a shifting of codes, skillfully orchestrated in the work. This process creates a sort of 'magic boxes', thought up to trigger specific language transpositions.
Vito Campanelli