Michael Arata‘s work covers a range of content. I am inspired by religion, sex, garbage, beauty, love, time, systems, actions, nature and the weather. I usually twist these elements together to assemble something I hadn’t expected or seen. I suppose that makes it abstract with a twist. Belief systems usually unravel if you look at them closely,I tend to look closely. This is a starting place. Apply it to a set of circumstances to complicate the issue and let curiosity and suspicion finish the job. It can be pretty.
Artist Location: Los Angeles, CA
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PARTICIPATION
China Town Wishing Well in the Time of Corona
Video available for viewing on YouTube.
Proposed work as accepted for soundpedro 2020:
Magic Wish
Magic Wish is inspired by the historic wishing well/wishing pond in China Town Los Angeles. The project will be an audience participation work in that I will provide the pennies to toss and they will do the wishing.
Built of overturned vases, 5 gallon buckets, glass canning jars, ceramic mugs, glass dinner plates, assorted containers. The range in size will provide a different pitch as people try to land coins on the overturned containers. They will be labeled with wish-topics, Long Life, Vacation, Money, Success and others. The sounds should range from deep bass to variant high and low octaves. I am hoping for a sound that emulates raindrops and at times a rain storm depending on the amount of participants.
Pitching Pennies conjures up nostalgic images of junior delinquents like “James Dean” type punk thugs. The engaging game of risk and reward as a positive experience. The best part is the experience of chance, MAGIC and good karma with unscripted sound.
Popped message mule
100 balloons with inserted written messages. Messages can be covert and/or social political. Sound component: Balloons must be popped to retrieve a message. The sound is generated by releasing pressurized air. The delivery method references covert communication as well as drug dealing. Meth and heroin doses are dispensed in balloons. Popped balloons can be perceived an clandestine communication, overdose or emotional release. Nationally we are in the midst of an opioid epidemic.