Guerillas in June!
We're connecting, interacting, celebrating our lives together as artists! Here’s what we’re doing in June.
What’s growing the Guerillas’ Gardens?
Lilit Hartunian: Every year, I grow a little porch herb garden. Yesterday, my chive plant started opening up its beautiful purple blossoms! Once they are all in bloom, I will pick and dry them to use in salads, teas, soups, on top of toast, as cake decorations, you name it! (Photo above)
Aliana de la Guardia: We have raised planters in the yard of our two-family that we share with our upstairs neighbors, which I finally cleaned out yesterday! We also love to grow tomatoes and peppers in pots on our deck. It's so nice to sit out there and read, surrounded by green!
Brenda Huggins: I live in a tiny studio apt in Brighton, so I don’t have my own garden. I do love to capture the many beautiful flowers and plants in my neighborhood with an instamax camera to create my own urban “garden.” (Photo above)
Julia Noulin-Mérat: a lot of mint!!! i love fresh mint in my tea and mojitos
Brian Church: We planted sunflower seeds but they haven't sprouted yet.
What are we reading?
Stephen Marotto: I'm reading All Gates Open: The Story Of CAN by Rob Young & Irmin Schmidt, Songs of Unreason by Jim Harrison, and On Anarchy by Noam Chomsky.
The first book is a biography of the seminal Krautrock band, Can. Their story is fascinating, and there are many connections to the contemporary classical world as well. Jim Harrison is one of my favorite poets, his poems have beautiful imagery and are very good quarantine reading. Chomsky's treatise on anarchistic thought and left wing political ideologies seem especially urgent given the current circumstances.
Brian Church: A multi-volume graphic novel history called the Hip-Hop Family Tree by Ed Piskor. I had Volumes 1 and 2 and only recently got 3 and 4. Exhaustively detailed history rendered in the style of a 1970's comic book (degraded 4-color process). For fans of both Run DMC and Jack Kirby. (Photo above)
Tae Kim: Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph by Jan Swafford
Lilit Hartunian: Right now I'm re-reading Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet". It helps me remember all of the things I love about being an artist, and helps me feel re-inspired to search for a new version of that artist during this time.
Aliana de la Guardia: Right now I'm reading "Complete Vocal Fitness" by Claudia Friedlander. As a physical performer, I am fascinated by the combination of physical and vocal training. This book checks my lists! It investigates classical voice technique from the perspective of body mechanics and physical training!
Brenda Huggins: I just read “Circe” by Madeline Miller, a beautiful first person narrative of the famous sorceress’s journey. (Photo above)
Julia Noulin-Mérat: The Ride of a Lifetime - Robert Iger
What's our favorite thing we cooked this month?
Brenda Huggins: I have made this recipe at least six times during quarantine. It’s so good, my husband does a special “pancake dance” every time I make it! Here's the recipe:
https://www.justsotasty.com/lemon-pancakes/
Aliana de la Guardia: Ha ha! I'm such a princess! My husband does all the cooking, and I'm thankful. I have a lot of food sensitivities and he's really great at finding dishes we can both enjoy! This month he made a chicken curry with cashew milk, which was delicious!
Julia Noulin-Mérat: Paella and some delicious margaritas
Lilit Hartunian: I finally made gnocchi that wasn't heavy and doughy! It was pillow-y and delicious. So. Good. I almost wanted to eat them plain by hand, but I decided to show some dignity and made a simple kale/tomato/olive oil/parmesan sauce for them. (Photo above)
Tae Kim: Kimchi jjigae with spam! Try the recipe:
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kimchi-jjigae
Brian Church: Ha ha ha! I'm such a poor cook although we did experiment with a very low-rent version of homemade Chicken Tikka Masala which wasn't bad... better the Indian food at the Burlington Mall Food Court.
What are you exploring in our craft?
Aliana de la Guardia: This past month I attended "Mask Making/Play" from Movement Theater Studio. In this class you learn how to make a unique character mask and the physical technique for how to create the character and to successfully "play the mask" - how to bring it to life! My mask was so ugly and incredibly messy to make, but I'm inspired to make more and really learn what it takes to do the craft well. (Photo above)
Tae Kim: Learning Op. 101 & Op. 106 by Beethoven. Always wanted to pair Hindemith 3rd sonata with 101, figured this was the year. During one practice session I read through 106 and was excited that it was rather manageable. Having said so, they're not going to be ready for a performance any time soon but they've given me plenty of reasons to get up in the morning.
Julia Noulin-Mérat: Currently studying la boheme and Cenerentola.
Stephen Marotto: I've been trying to improve my Max MSP skills, I'm very slowly learning how computer patches are designed.
Lilit Hartunian: On Mother's Day I participated in a special performance in the Sound Bites series with the MFA, playing three pieces by composers who were active during Monet's lifetime, paired with my choice of three related works by Monet from the MFA’s collection. I was even quoted in Forbes! Wach it on Facebook or YouTube!
Brenda Huggins: I’ve really wanted to grow my writing practice, and have been taking poetry workshops, watching panel discussions on libretto and playwriting. As a stage director, this is a difficult time for me because traditionally, my art making is highly collaborative and requires a cast of people in a room together to tell stories. Focusing on writing helps remind me that I have something to say as an artist, and there are many mediums to express and communicate.
Brian Church: Trying to put the finishing touches on a long-overdue 3rd album. Holding off on writing any new songs because I already have a backlog of 3-4 albums' worth at this point.
What are you experimenting with?
Lilit Hartunian: There are so many things about this situation that are confining and constricting to us as artists. It's a whole new era of artistic self-reliance. But it's also a time when it feels 100% ok to mess up or be testing out new things - we've got nothing (else left) to lose! So why not try your hand at arranging for the first time? And making iMovie split screen projects? And accompanying yourself of toy piano? I'm actually working on something with wine glasses now...their sound is harder to capture and balance than I thought, but I'll get there!
Brian Church: I wrote a whole album of songs for Bass and Viola. Trying to create a Post-punk "band" situation with no guitar. The Viola fulfills the function of the guitar but without necessarily playing "guitar" parts (in the vein of Joy Division, Raincoats, the Slits, PiL, early U2). At the same time, I want the music to have almost no reliance on effect pedals like "delay" or "looping". Trying to avoid anything sounding "Folk" or "Americana" while still remaining pure and umblemished (no effects, minimal amplification, performable in a rock club or outside in front of a library). Had plans to get together with a drummer before the virus hit. We will figure something out though.
Tae Kim: Nothing necessarily new but video chatting with my family almost daily. My sister's an ICU nurse with a 1.5 year old daughter and my parents are over 60 so seeing them and talking to them have been a blessing, not to mention my niece is SO CUTE!!! I might be biased, but she really is the cutest baby in the world :)
Aliana de la Guardia: I'm always considering my moniker "Dirty Paloma" and what it means in the context of my life and being. This led to an original improvisation, "Palomita," I composed for, my friend, Leslie Leytham's project_blank_sd. (Leslie is also a founding Guerilla artist BTW!)
I spent about a month and a half in a creative rut, then all of the sudden my head was full and I was desperate to get it all out. This piece combines two of my recent poems, and a folk melody with a Latin "clave," which is always in my body from my Cuban heritage.
Enjoy it's premiere at project_blank_sd! Your ticket purchase to this virtual salon supports the artists involved, which include some past Guerillas and many of my friends and colleagues.
Julia Noulin-Mérat: I am learning a new drawing computer program and experimenting with it
Brenda Huggins: I’ve been working to develop an aesthetic that combines photography and silhouettes for shadow theater using an overhead projector. I’ve invested in an inkjet printer and some other tools for this project to continue to explore and play. “Waltzer in the House” with Aliana and Mike is the premiere of these experiments!
Stephen Marotto: I've been learning mandolin. I'm practicing the Vivaldi mandolin concerto, and Bob Dylan tunes.