alex cruse and Kevin CK Lo: November 9, 2017 (Updated a year ago)

The Poetry Center presents alex cruse and Kevin CK Lo (who collectively perform as Drought Spa) in performance and in conversation. alex cruse reads from a new manuscript, "Era of Zero," alongside an original multimedia work, live electronic sound projections by Lo, and electronic visuals by cruse and Lo. Their performance is followed by a conversation on their work, in response to questions from the audience.

Kevin Lo begins by playing a site specific, multimedia work on televisions while alex cruse reads an epic poem from a new manuscript, "Era of Zero." Lo improvises with the audiovisuals while cruse reads, responding to certain lines or changes in her tone.

Steve Dickison introduces alex cruse and Kevin Lo before they take questions from the audience. They are asked how they incorporate music in their performances, and alex says everything is recorded live, with Kevin occasionally bringing live instruments such as the violin. They are both interested in translating movement into sound and visual programming. In terms of collaboration, alex says she does all the writing, Kevin composes the music, and they collaborate on images. Kevin does not know what she will read ahead of time, which adds to the improvisational element of their performances. They are both concerned with the social implications of technology and the anxieties around the complicit attitudes towards technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence. When discussing their performance, alex explains that she read in a different room because she wanted to "corrupt the hierarchy between the audience and the performer," while questioning how one can free up other senses in an ocular-centric world. Going forward, Kevin states that he would love to take their work to the realm of virtual reality, although both agree it is not as rich as people coming together for readings and negotiating space.