Dreaming has long been a component of my creative endeavors. While in High School I began composing for orchestra as a result of dreams of hearing my own music. None of what I composed then came specifically from remembering what I'd dreamed, but the dreams sparked my imagination. It’s always been difficult for me to disassociate ideas emerging in dreams from those arising when working on a creative project, allegedly when awake. After all, where do thoughts really come from if not from long-term memory, unconscious pieces of phrases, images, sounds, actions and ideas that also give rise to dreams? For me, I often have to let go of forcing my way to find creative solutions and enter a kind of dream-like state, waiting to get a glimpse of a new angle or perspective.1993-2012
Spirit DreamA Mask Performance/Ceremony, with Pauline Oliveros.Performed: Drew University, March 23, 1993, Great Hall. riverdream through usA Listening Ceremony in Seven Dreamings for Singing/Listening Masks, Riversounds, & Listener/Celebrants. Performed: Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, October 19, 2001; Korn Gallery, Drew University, April 2000; Ocean County Library, Barnegat, NJ, April 1998 (sponsored by Composers Guild of New Jersey); St. Stephen & the Incarnation Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C., April 1998; Ione's Dream Festival, in the Deep Listening Gallery, Kingston, NY, October 25, 1997 (sponsored in part by Meet the Composer); Aquifer Art Gallery, Barnegat, NJ, October 19, 1997 (sponsored by Composers Guild of New Jersey); Capital Music Festival XII, New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, NJ, May 17, 1997 (sponsored by Composers Guild of New Jersey); Drew University, April 1995, Shawnee Valley, PA and Washington's Crossing State Park, PA in June, 1995, as part of Delaware River Sojourn Fesitval; Nutshell Art Center, Lake Huntington, NY, July, 1995; Linwood, NY, August 1995; Rockaway River Festival, October 1995.Dreaming W...(ave)(edge) Gatefrom dream, Rose Mountain, NM, August 4, 1996.Spirit Dreams: Stories of the Singing MasksIone's Dream Festival, October 25, 1997. Performed at St. Stephen & the Incarnation Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C., April 1998; Center for Symbolic Studies, Stone Mountain Farm, New Paltz, NY, July 1998; Drew University, October 1998; Columbia College, Chicago, April 1999; Korn Gallery, Drew University, April 2000. Review by Tom Bickley. |
Spirit Talk: Conversations with the Singing Masksfor Singing Masks, Bird/River Sounds and Electronics. Premiered for Spirituality House, Drew University, Nov. 7, 1998. Performed: Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, October 26, 2001; Columbia College, Chicago, April 1999; Oberlin Conservatory of Music, April 1999; St. Stephen & the Incarnation Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C., April 1999; Plan B, Santa Fe, NM, August 1999; Deep Listening Space, Kingston, NY, October 1999; Korn Gallery, Drew University, Madison, NJ, April 2000.DreamListening SticksRose Mountain, NM, 1999.In Parallel: Dreaming Into Alternate Universesfor Singing Masks, Surround SoundScape, Narration, and Movement. Texts by Fred Alan Wolf. Premiered at Deep Listening Space, Kingston, NY, as part of Ione's Fifth Annual Dream Festival, October 14, 2000. Performed: Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, December 7, 2001.DreamWeavingfor Singing Masks, Soundscape and Electronics. Premiered at Ione's 6th Annual Dream Festival, October 6, 2001, Deep Listening Space, Kingston, NY.We Are Dreaming This: Transtemporal Dreamingfor Singing Masks, Video, Surround Soundscape and Electronics. Premiered at Ione's 10th Annual Dream Festival, October 9, 2005. The Concert Hall at Drew University, November 20, 2005. |
Into the Deep (Dreaming)for Singing Masks, Surround Soundscape and Electronics. Performed with The Deep Listening Band (Pauline Oliveros, David Gamper, Stewart Dempster) for Ione's 11th Annual Dream Festival, October 13, 2006. The Concert Hall at Drew University.Onieroscapefor Singing Masks and Electronics. Premiered at Ione's 14 Annual Dream Festival, October 11, 2009.Mysterium Magnum: Singing Mask Dreamsong MeditationsVideo Ceremony for Singing Masks, Electronics, the Avatar Orchestra Metaverse in Second Life and with Ezra Lowrey and Jan Harrison. June-December,2009.Remember, Dreama Singing Mask Ceremony with Sound/Video Dreamscape by Norman Lowrey & Zera Bloom. Presented at Ione's 14th Annual Dream Festival, Kingston, NY October 9, 2010 and Bennington College April 2, 2011, and Drew University Art Department Korn Gallery, Friday, November 18, 2016. |
2013-2017
Dream Shadows DreamSilent Video of Singing Masks, Automata, Shadow Play by Norman Lowrey. Music by Caleb Lowrey. Performed live with Singing Masks, Automata, and Musical Accompaniment for Ione's 18th Annual Dream Festival, October 19, 2013, Deep Listening Space, Kingston, New York. What's shown here is the original silent video with the audio recording of the live performance added.
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Dream Shadows DreamLive performance at the closing of "Soundings: Singing Masks/Automata/Multimedia" by Norman Lowrey, with Zera Bloom and Theodora Lowrey, Drew University Art Department Korn Gallery, Friday, November 18, 2016.
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Dreaming Into 2016From Ione's 21st Annual Dream Festival, Overnight for Dreaming Avatars, Dreaming Into 2016 Dec. 31, 2015-Jan. 1, 2016. |
Dream Festival Overnight 2Second brief documentation from Ione's 22nd Annual Dream Festival, the New Year Overnight for Dreaming Avatars in Second Life, Dreaming / Remembering / Celebrating the Life of Pauline Oliveros. Dec. 31, 2016-Jan. 1, 2017.
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Dream Festival OvernightFirst brief documentation of New Year's Eve Dream Festival New Year Overnight, Dreaming / Remembering / Celebrating the Life of Pauline Oliveros. Dec. 31, 2016-Jan. 1, 2017.
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Dreaming / Remembering Pauline OliverosA simple slideshow of photos of Pauline Oliveros (1932-2016) to accompany a soundscape created for live performance memorial tributes to her. The soundscape is the result of a brief dream I had of Pauline on February 17, 2017.
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Dreaming Pauline Oliveros in KingstonPresentation of "Dreaming Pauline with Singing Masks +" by Norman Lowrey, with Theodora Lowrey performing on accordion, for the Kingston, NY Midtown Arts District A Celebration Tribute for Pauline Oliveros, held March 19, 2017 in Kingston City Hall. introduction by David Felton.
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Dream Shadows DreamDream Shadows Dream, as presented at the International Symposium on Adaptive Technology for Music and Art, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Video excerpt by Carole Ione. October 20, 2017.
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2018
Deep DreamingDeep Dreaming with Humming Pera (aka Tina M Pearson), Dreambird Timeless (aka Carol Ione), and North Zipper (aka Norman Lowrey) during Ione's 24th Annual Dream Festival Overnight for Dreaming Avatars in Second Life. Dec. 31, 2017-Jan. 1, 2018.
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Dreaming Avatars
DO AVATARS HAVE DREAMS? SURE THEY DO!
5-minute condensed: Overnight for Dreaming Avatars A Virtual Celebration of the New Year in Second Life Across 9 Time Zones for Carole Ione’s 23rd Annual Dream Festival, 2:00 pm, Sun. Dec. 31, 2017 - 6:00 am, Mon. Jan. 1, 2018 Second Life Time (Pacific). Posted January 2, 2018. |
Fox DreamingFox learning his dream of an April 2nd snow is not a dream. Or is it? Anyway, he’s content with his indoor home on the stairwell wall.
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Dreamtime Perspectives
Dreamtime Perspectives / Spirit Protectors. April 9, 2018.
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Dream of RealityDream of Reality / Reality of Dream. April 10, 2018.
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DreamShadow InParallelNew version of Dream Shadows Dream, including recording from In Parallel: Dreaming into Alternate Universes. 2018.
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Remembering Rose Mountain Dreaming Sounding
Interactive html5 app created for the Deep Listening Retreat n honor of Pauline Oliveros held at the Ratna Ling Retreat Center, Cazadero, CA, Aug. 23-26, 2018. https://norlowrey.net/rose/
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Sounding the Long DreamSounding the Long Dream Winter into Spring, 2018. The full sequence of Singing Mask soundings from February through April, celebrating the Long Dream Journey in my new home with Liza in Mount Tabor, New Jersey. April 22, 2018
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2019-2021
Ganesha DreamingGanesha summer dreaming into winter, of sunlit eye while resting on his wall. February 10, 2019.
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Dream Festival 2018/19A Featured Event of Ione’s 24th Annual Dream Festival
Overnight for Dreaming Avatars in Second Life
A Virtual Celebration of the New Year Across 9 Time Zones
from Monday, Dec. 31, 2018 at 2:00pm Second Life Time to Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019 6 am SLT
(SLT = Pacific Time Zone). January 1, 2019.
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Excerpts from Dream Shadows DreamRealized at Carole Ione’s 25th Annual Dream Festival Marathon of Dreamers, 0202-2020, Fair John Art Space and Music Salon, Kingston, NY. Video by Gloria Waslyn and Norman Lowrey.
DREAM SHADOWS DREAM for Singing Masks, Automata, and Electronics By Norman Lowrey First presented with Caleb Lowrey for Ione’s 18th Annual Dream Festival, October 27, 2013 in Kingston, NY. Our version now is dedicated to the Deep Listening Dream Shadow Dreaming Spirit Pauline Oliveros. All present are invited to join in this dreaming: listening, sounding, moving. All are welcome to play with shadows in Deep Listening joy. What do shadows dream? Are shadows dreams? Are we dreaming shadows? Do shadows dream us? What is the source of the light casting the shadow Dream? What do shadows sound? How do shadows listen? If Pauline Oliveros is a source of light for us, are we her dreaming shadows? Or, as the objects on which her light shines, are we mindful of the shadows we cast? Are we dreaming this? |
Dream Festival 2019/20205'23" condensation of Ione's 25th Annual Dream Festival dreaming in the New Year during the Overnight for Dreaming Avatars in Second Life. The event was held over a span of 12 hours and included Avatars located across 9 time zones, from Central European Time to Pacific Standard Time. Sounding was occurring throughout triggered by virtual instruments and included sampled excerpts from Pauline Oliveros' Ghost Dance and Crone Music, sustained singing bowls, and Norman Lowrey's In Parallel: Dreaming into Alternate Universes. January 1, 2020.
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Dream Action TheaterA bit of Pop Up Dream Action Theater at Deep Listening Plaza, Kingston, NY, as part of Carole Ione’s 26th Annual Dream Festival, 12:00 noon, February 22, 2021.
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dream shadows dream, 2021Dream Shadows Dream presented via Zoom for Ione's 26th Annual Dream Festival, Feb. 21, 2021. First presented with Caleb Lowrey for Ione’s 18th Annual Dream Festival, October 27, 2013 in Kingston, NY, Dream Shadows Dream is a participatory exploration of the interweaving of dreams and shadows. This event's version will be over Zoom, with Björn Eriksson joining from Sweden, and Lorah Yaccarino joining from Cape Cod.
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2022-2024
Tree DreamsBrief montage from Tree Dreams presented at the Rail Trail Cafe on Larsen Family’s Stone Mountain Farm near New Paltz, NY, June 18, 2022. Norman Lowrey with Singing Masks, Theo Lowrey on Accordion, JL Simonson on Guitar and Found Instruments. Video footage and photos by Linda Law. Dedicated to listening to and dreaming with trees. |
Pauline Dreams at Mills
Pauline Dreams: A Sonic Dream Mandala by IONE (December, 2021), presented on April 21, 2022 for Music in the Fault Zone, Experimental Music at Mills College (1939 to the present), Ione’s 27th Annual Dream Festival, and in celebration of Pauline Oliveros’ upcoming 90th birthday. Performers were Ione, Anne Hege, Brenda Hutchinson, and Jennifer Wilsey, with Video Montage by Norman Lowrey. What appears here is a mix of the montage together with video of the live performance. April 21, 2022.
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RayBird DreamsRayBird Sings a Tiny Late Afternoon Dream for Ione's 27th Annual Dream Festival. April 21, 2022.
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PAULINE DREAMS by IONE
Brief excerpt from PAULINE DREAMS by IONE for Ione’s 28th Annual Dream Festival Retro-Futurism with Avatar Orchestra Metaverse December 17, 2023 |
Click here to listen to the archive recording of my guest appearance on Dream Life Radio on Kingston radio May 16, 2024, with Carole Ione, Lisa Barnard Kelley, and Jaguar Mary X. It was a great pleasure to do some dream sharing and participate in discussion about the importance of dreaming, as Ione says, “the deepest source of our creativity.”
She further says, “We know that through dreaming our lives are enhanced, and we are freeing the dreams, and we are lifting off judgement about them so that we can enjoy them more.”
Dream Time Breathing in the Petri-Dish
Brief excerpts from my Zoom visit to The Walk-In Petri Dish, an experimental arts venue in Regensburg, Germany, created by Max D. Well and Jori Tokyo (Johannes Riedmann). See https://joritokyo.com/ for details. Video documentation by Kollektiv OS2.24 / Max D. Well. May 30, 2024.
