DIVA

Stefani Byrd + Wes Eastin, Projected Video on Custom Shaped Screen, 2010

Original Audio and Video Recordings of Operatic Soprano Andrea Green

Featured at FLUX NIGHT, October 2010, Atlanta, Georgia

Utilizing the voice of an operatic singer, DIVA showcases the considerable power of music as the most universal form of communication as it pertains to emotion.  For the installation the songs performed are liberated from the plot of the operas they originate from and exist as individual pieces.  The songs used in the installation were selected as the best examples of expressing grand emotions such as love, sorrow and joy.  The scale and close up of the face, the most expressive part of the body, is meant to better connect the viewer to the emotions expressed by the music and the performance.

The face of the singer has been digitally altered and turned a brilliant blue.  This along with the suspension of the face high in the air is meant to create a feeling of magic and otherworldliness. The outdoor setting is also a way to re-contextualize the music by placing it in locations that are unexpected and democratized. The songs and video performance are original recordings of operatic soprano Andrea Green.

(Operatic Performer: Andrea Green)

Partial funding provided by a project grant from IDEA CAPITAL