Join the Museum’s young professionals group, The Misprints, for an early evening of refreshments, conversation and the Houston premiere of “velvet, black velvet” by Houston musician Mark Hirsch.

From Mark’s web site:

“Through his work, Hirsch seeks to use experimental technology to create new connections to the important, personal aspects of our lives. The interactive nature of projects such as Tat2, Ancestry Sculptures, and velvet, black velvet gives the viewer and participant a direct connection to the work, lending a degree of intimacy to the often cold, impersonal aesthetic of digital technology

A tireless supporter of diverse collaborative processes, Hirsch strives to find deeper relationships between different artistic and scientific mediums. Recent projects have included collaborations with Rice University Engineers, Frame Dance Productions, Jungian Scholars, and his Grandparents.

Hirsch holds the Bachelor of Music, magna cum laude, from Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.

A native of the American Midwest, Hirsch currently resides in Houston, TX, teaching New Media Technology in the Arts at St. Stephen’s School, creating art and playing in the ol’ softy punk band Money Bear.

About ‘velvet, black velvet’:

Velvet, Black Velvet derives from a story recorded by Catherine Brown Halka. A transcript of the story acts as an open score for the percussionist who types the text on a typewriter equipped with sensors on each key. Input from the key sensors is used to trigger mechanically struck percussion instruments and allows the typed text to be projected. A cello also accompanies Halka’s story and its sound is used to control the visual aspects of the projection. Halka’s exploration of accumulation and the sentimental hardship of letting go is reflected in the cello-controlled animation as the position and quality of the abstract shape reacts to the cello and accumulates throughout the duration of the piece.