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ON VIEW
EXHIBITION
MirrorFugue: Reflections of New Orleans Pianists
Presented in conjunction with Prospect-3+ and made possible by Phyllis M. Taylor
Through December 20
Laura Simon Nelson Galleries for Louisiana Art, 400 Chartres Street
Free
A Xiao Xiao B Allen Toussaint C Jon Cleary
All images courtesy of JonCunnar Cylfason
Play Her Piano
In a satellite exhibition of the art biennial Prospect.3, an installation by New Orleans artist Xiao Xiao brings contemporary art and musical magic to The Collection.
For the first time since opening in 2012, The Collection’s Laura Simon Nelson Galleries for Louisiana Art will host a multimedia installation, one that combines music, art, and technology into one invitingly interactive experience. For 10 days this December, New Orleans artist Xiao Xiao will present MirrorFugue: Reflections of Neu' Orleans Pianists, an installation centered on a player piano outfitted with a screen and projector. A satellite exhibition of the New Orleans art biennial Prospect.3, MirrorFugue features the music of legendary pianists Jon Cleary and Allen Toussaint, preserved digitally on the player piano, as well as video projections of Cleary and Toussaint at rest and in performance. The piano will play the recorded performances, and the projections of the musicians will appear on the instrument as ghostly reflections, merging past and present into one musical moment.
Xiao Xiao, who is currently working toward a doctoral degree at the Tangible Media Group of MIT’s Media Lab, was inspired by the changing nature musical consumption and performance in the 21st century. Xiao Xiao has wuriced to understand these changes and present new, interactive, and emotionally resonant avenues for enjoying music, while simultaneously exploring and expanding audiences' interactions with computers.
“These days, we think of music in its purest form as distilled, disembodied sound,” said Xiao Xiao, “but historically music could only have been experienced live, channeled through the bodies of performers, felt in the bodies	J!: rices.*
MirrorFugue—which takes its name from a baroque contrapuntal form that mir»~s iueii. like a palindrome— allows viewers multiple angles for experiencing the installation. For Xiao Xiao, the “VIP sen* is the piano bench. Here a visitor can sit and watch a piece of music being performed— not only through the movement of the player piano keys but also through the superimposed image of the musician.
For the brave, Xiao Xiao suggests playing a duet with Allen Toussaint or following the fingers and hands of Jon Cleary as he moves through classics of the New Orleans canon. In g addition to Toussaint and Cleary, pianists Ron Markham and Nick Sanders also recorded for MirrorFugue and will take their virtual turns at the piano over the course of the installation. This exhibition marks both Xiao Xiao's and the piece’s hometown premiere.
“Xiao Xiao’s work provides an outstanding opportunity to once again participate in the Prospect New Orleans biennial while showcasing the Laura Simon Nelson Galleries for Louisiana Art as a prime venue for the exhibition of art in the French Quarter,” said THNOC Deputy Director Daniel Hammer. “Xiao Xiao’s installation beautifully marries that goal with another of THNOC’s missions, to preserve and present C aspects of the city’s musical heritage.” —ERIC SEIFERTH
6 The Historic New Orleans Collection Quarterly