Open by appointment for one person/household at a time - please email info@rhizomedc.org. In addition, we will host open gallery hours for drop-in visitors on Sunday April 25 from 10am-2pm; Saturday May 1 from noon-4pm; and Saturday May 15 from noon-4pm.
In April 2021, the art/electronics/etc., endeavor generally known as VauxFlores is rounding out their decade of existence. To celebrate, we are showcasing several series of works from the past ten years that walk the line between electronic music instruments, installation and fine art - derived from, inspired by, or in some cases even created by said instruments (and vice versa). The first of these series is a collection of works for enamel on acrylic, accompanied by selections from instrument series Number 12, which are small modular synthesizers housed in bamboo boxes faced with similarly painted acrylic panels. The second series are selections from our Bioprinting installation, which utilizes amplified earthworms run into custom electronics and slow-scan radio imaging software to realize abstract visual art prints. These will be accompanied by Instrument 23, the first mass-produced VauxFlores device that features artwork derived from this series. The third will feature selections from my 144 series, which are digital prints realized on aluminum panels derived from corrupted and misappropriated audio files. Accompanying these prints will be Instrument 24, whose artwork was not only inspired by these prints, but whose circuitry helped create them in the first place. The final work for this show will feature a collection of XimeTrons, which are small, STEM-inspired electronic instrument modules designed during the 2020 lockdown as an activity for children, presented as a playable musical instrument and analog video synthesizer.
In conjunction with the exhibition:
*April 25: DIY Electronix Workshop: The Eyetron (light-sensitive mini synth)
*May 15: Outdoor Concert: Marlo De Lara / Travis Johns / Bushmeat+Nik Francis
*May 16: DIY Electronix Workshop: Fabrica de Unicornios Muertos (Eurorack module)
Travis Johns is a sound artist residing in Ithaca, NY, whose work includes performance, installation and printmaking, often incorporating electronic instruments of his own design. Active in the San Francisco Bay Area experimental music scene for several years, Johns moved to Costa Rica in 2011 where he collaborated extensively with visual artist Paulina Velazquez-Solis on Raro, an immersive sound and sculpture installation that represented Costa Rica in the 2013 Biennial of the Central American Isthmus (BAVIC). Since returning to the states, first to Baltimore and later to Ithaca, he’s continued to apply his trade as a composer, educator and sound artist under the nom de plume of VauxFlores.
He holds a B.M. In Technology in Music and Related Arts from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, studies conducted with Tom Lopez, as well as an MFA from Mills College in Electronic Music and Recording Media, studies conducted with Chris Brown, Les Stuck and Hilda Paredes. He has participated in residencies at such places as the Atlantic Center for the Arts and RPI’s Create @ iEar, and has had work featured by el Museo Centroamericano de Arte Video (MUCEVI), the Electronic Music Foundation, Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), the Bienarte 8 Costa Rican Biennial, el Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, MAC Panama, The California Academy of Sciences, Alianza Francesa de Guatemala, The Lab (San Francisco), Battery Townsley (Marin County, Ca) and Rhizome DC (Washington DC).
