Documenting some of the glitter and destruction around our yard two days after the ice storm that blew in Feb. 4, 2022 in Kingston, NY. We’re fortunate that no branched fell on the house and in only having about 36 hours of power outage. Many around Ulster county are still without.
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.
Tree Dreams
Brief 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.
Summer Sounds
Very brief late evening katydid/cricket meditation dedicated to one of my oldest friends, Barbara Ghoshal, who just checked up on me because she realized I hadn’t posted anything for a while. This is what I’m experiencing on my back porch these summer nights. August 20, 2022, Kingston, NY.
Autumn Song
A little pre-Autumn Equinox song. September 17, 2022, Kingston, NY
Celebrating Saturn
Earth Singer Singing Mask joins China Blue’s sonic installation art works with their sounds of Saturn she created for NASA. Lake Katrine, NY, November 26, 2022. http://chinablueart.com/
Fireside Chat #2
Fireside Chat #2, with RayBird experimenting with a wireless control ring randomizing delay lengths and pitch shifts. We like playing along with the unpredictable. December 3, 2022.
Fireside Chat #3
Fireside Chat #3, with Ganesha Singing Mask sounding and triggering an Animoog Z synth patch, further controlled by hand gestures. December 12, 2022.
Moons of Saturn
Ganesha Singing Mask sounds at table with a few of China Blue’s Moons of Saturn with their sounds from Saturn she created for NASA. December 14, 2022. https://chinablueart.com
Fireside Chat #4
May your Holy Days be peaceful and joyous. December 21, 2022.
Fireside Chat #5
Fireside Chat #5. Fox says HAPPY NEW YEAR! Jan. 1, 2023.
Fireside Chat #6
Fireside Chat #6. New voice for Locust Seed Pod Singing Mask , a slide whistle also triggering sounds in the Animoog Z app. Jan. 6, 2023.
Fireside Chat #7
Fireside Chat #7. Basswood Bear rattles on with gratitude to everyone for the warm birthday wishes. He also scoffs at my turning 79 and challenges me to always stay young at heart. Thanks, Bear. Thanks, dear friends. Jan. 13, 2023.
The Witness by Pauline Oliveros
Pauline Oliveros had a long-standing interest in collaborative performance at a distance, which included her pioneering work in telematic performances over the internet as well as telepathic and imaginative participation. In her score to “The Witness” (1989), she writes that it “may be performed by a soloist as a duet with an imaginary partner or as an ensemble for two to a hundred or more performers.”
I was unable to be present in the flesh at a presentation of “The Witness” at Carnegie Hall on January 21, 2023. I was there however by way of telepathy, my imagination and by real-time editing of two videos which documented previous presentations. Click above to see the result. Feb. 4, 2023.
Fireside Chat #8
Fireplace Chat #8. Tunnituaruit has a say about our recent sub-zero weather, probably including some expletives regarding human-caused climate change.
(Tunnituaruit is an Inuit term meaning literally "little beings who only have tattooed faces" - magical half-bird and half-human creatures whose language of communication is "katadjait," throat singing). February 6, 2023.
Beginning Spring 2023
Out on walk on first day to hit 73°F in Kingston, NY. Of course, tomorrow high will be 48. April 1, 2023.
Staying Close
A brief Sonic Meditation for Earth Day, April 22, 2023.
Sunset After Storm
Sunset, July 27, 2023, 8:27 PM, Kingston, NY.
Autumn Meditation #1
Autumn meditation, with RayBird. October 6, 2023, Kingston, NY.
Autumn Meditation #2
Autumn meditation #2, Buddha with Swan. October 19, 2023, Kingston, NY.
Autumn Meditation #3
Autumn meditation #3. October 23, 2013, Kingston, NY.
As I offer these brief meditative documentations of autumn in my local environment, Pauline Oliveros’s pertinent message for our time sounds in my imagination:
“Deep listening is the foundation for a radically transformed social matrix in which compassion and love are the core motivating principles guiding creative decision making and our actions in the world.”
Autumn Meditation #4
Miniature Autumn Meditation #4. May this tranquil couple moments in our backyard in Kingston, NY bring some measure of peace and pleasure to those who need it in our troubled times. November 12, 2023.
Saturn Walk
Saturn Walk" by China Blue. Composition by China Blue (http://chinablueart.com) & Lance Massey. Norman Lowrey sounding with “Sheeoué Windhorse” at D.R.A.W. Kingston, NY, December 2, 2023.
This is a full video of my slow walk meditation. The collaborative sounding occurs at about 6'.
China Blue writes:
"In this sound walk experience performers are immersed in the acoustics generated from Saturn’s rings. Through mindful meditation and embodied listening participants explore our relationship with each other and the cosmos.
"The intent of this work is to foster compassion. As a public art work viewers are encouraged to also participate and experience the work.
"The composition is inspired by the sonics of Saturn’s rings that the artist discovered for NASA and composed with Lance Massey, creator of the T-Mobile ringtone."
Let's Listen Together
Tunnituaruit singing for peace and joy throughout the holy days of the winter solstice. December 24, 2023.
Happy New Year
A gentle fireside song by Anima for a Happy New Year. January 1, 2024.
Next Day Tracking
After the first snow of winter, tracking, some old, some new, many indecipherable. Kingston, NY, January 9, 2024.
Quoting John Cage
I’m admitting here that I have been posting little videos to TikTok for awhile, most of which have provided a means for me to tap into my silliest self to provide some smiles in our dark time. A recent series consisted of renderings of silly children’s songs I composed years ago, presented by one of my VR personas, Foxie. I’ve now started a series of quotes. Some will be silly. Some serious. Who knows? This is the first. February 2, 2024. Oh, and here’s my TikTok link @normaskman.
Year of the Dragon
Happy Lunar New Year, February 10, 2024.
Deep Listening Quote
Here’s one of my favorite quotes from the composer, performer, humanitarian and founder of the practice of Deep Listening, Pauline Oliveros. This one is accompanied by my very first Singing Mask, Earth Singer. February 16, 2024.
Spring Equinox 2024
No buds on trees yet, but a few black birds were having a glorious spring chirpathon, here accompanied by Slide Whistle Bird. March 20, 2024, Kingston, NY.
Another Quote from Pauline Oliveros
Another TicToc post in my quasi-series of quotes. Again, a quote from Pauline Oliveros about Deep Listening. This one presented by me and Anima Singing Mask. April 20, 2024.
Dandelions
Slow walk among a few dandelions in our back yard. Happy Earth Day 2024. April 22, 2024, Kingston, NY.
Tulip Dance
Tulip dance, with crows. April 26, 2024, Kingston, NY.
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.
Summer Solstice 2024
May your Solstice be as joyous as possible throughout the long daylight. I finally managed to replace the broken reeds in Spirit of Dream Time. She’s been longing to recover her voice. June 20, 2024.
Listening with China Blue is a podcast about listening. In this podcast the artist China Blue interviews musicians, artists, filmmakers, teachers, Buddhists, psychiatrists, business leaders and culture creators about how listening leads to creativity, innovation, change and happiness. October 14, 2024.
Autumn 2024
Autumn seen out our front door, with Tunnituaruit singing, November 1, Kingston, NY.
2024: ||
Autumn 2024 ||
Listening With China Blue ||
Summer Solstice 2024 ||
Walk-In Petri-Dish ||
Tulip Dance ||
Dandelions ||
Another Quote ||
Spring Equinox 2024 ||
Deep Listening Quote ||
Year of the Dragon ||
2023: ||
Let's Listen Together ||
Saturn Walk ||
4 Autumn Meditations ||
Sunset After Storm ||
Staying Close ||
Beginning Spring 2023 ||
Fireside Chat #8 ||
The Witness by Pauline Oliveros ||
Fireside Chats #4-#7 ||
2022: ||
Moons of Saturn ||
Fireside Chats #2-#3 ||
Celbrating Saturn ||
Autumn Song ||
Summer Sounds ||
Tree Dreams ||
Pauline Dreams ||
RayBird Dreams ||
Slide Whistle Bird ||
Flip Books ||
Glitter / Destruction ||