I collaborated with dance choreographer Carol Hess on "Changing Room" in 1995. Neal Woodson provided a wide range of sound material which I edited and overlayed in various ways, to accompany the visual sequences. Carol and I recorded dancers Emily Giza and Eric Jenkins in a variety of indoor and outdoor locations around Maryland. Using rhythmic editing and overlay strategies, our intent was to present a dance work in a way that would not be possible in a live performance.
"Shibboleth" is a video dance work produced in collaboration with Carol over a six-month period in 1999. Our intent was to portray dancer Emily Giza in relationship with the emergence of the corn harvest - from the dry, bare earth, through the lush, leafy fullness of growth, to withered, crackling stalks at the end of the cycle. Through the cooperation of the UMCP Experimental Agricultural Station in Clarksville, MD, we were able to gain extended access to several corn fields under their care, thereby allowing our plan to take shape.
What we didn't count on when trying to shoot our footage was the degree to which our progress was affected by a severe drought that year. Although the corn was slow to emerge, it did miraculously grow, due, I'm certain, to the expertise of our UMCP friends. The fact that the ground was eternally dry and dusty, however, added to the visual quality of our footage.
Sylvia Smith contributed greatly to the soundtrack by providing "She", a speechsong that she composed and performed. Sylvia graciously allowed us to integrate her composition into the final edited video.
