Sonic and Poetic Performance

Single Performance: Saturday, December 3, 2022 - at 2 pm

STEVIE KINCHELOE AND STEVEN MCKELLAR

WHO WOULD I BE

Sonic and Poetic Performance

El NIDO, 1028 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles 90029

Interdisciplinary artists Stevie Kincheloe and Steven McKellar explore the role intimate Relationship plays in individual growth, refinement, and identity.

“Several entities exist in Relationship— those of the individual and one cultivated through the communion of the individuals. Through the cause and effect of experiences, mirroring, the development of the inner world, each of these entities are in a continuous loop of expansion and creation.”

Using organic elements and electronic equipment and instrumentation, along with poetry, this accumulative performance piece is manipulated, layered, and looped as each artist responds to their own truth and the truth of the other. The experience coalesces through one amplifier, giving voice to both Individual and Relationship, creating a new identity all its own.

“Intimate relationship is something we choose each day, each moment. It is something we are free to hold on to or free to let go of.”

Connecting the artists as they move in a circular pattern while they create, is the delicate thread of choice. Each holds in their hand the symbolism of that choice and the power to let go of it.

The Relationship becomes integral to the growth of the individual as the growth of the individual renews the relationship. This begs the question, “Who would I be” without this third entity or the Other that acts as the mirror for Self. “Am I becoming more myself or becoming something entirely new?”

There is no divide between life and art for interdisciplinary artist, Stevie Kincheloe. Her approach to creativity is more of a philosophy, a way of moving and being in the world. Stevie’s work in music, film, movement, writing, photography, and performance, are each an outpouring of a life lived in the pursuit of uncovering truth. “Each medium that draws me to itself, reveals more of that mysterious truth in the process. Expression is the teacher and I am the ever-growing student.”

After filming her feature, ‘Under the Burning Sun’, collaborating with Shane Guffogg in, ‘Translations of Being Through Sight and Sound’, participating in a month-long artist residency in Italy, where she worked on a multi-media performance piece with Soprano and Composer Shooka Afshar, scoring music for multiple films, and not to mention having her follow-up musical release to ‘Petals’ on deck, Stevie certainly embodies the essence of “life is art and art is life.” Stevie’s first solo exhibition will be held at El Nido in Los Angeles in February 2023, offering an intimate look at the dynamic journey of inner growth.

Born on the east coast and raised in middle America, Stevie is currently based in Los Angeles. Global pandemics aside, she does not make a habit of staying in one place for long. You will find her exploring the world the same way she explores her inner truth and new mediums, splitting her time between LA, Nashville, Paris, and South Africa, while collecting inspiration and collaborating in whatever land she finds herself.

“The main thing is to start digging in and uncovering the truth of who you are. Leave no stone unturned. Most people are scared to do this, but if you want to be an artist or find your purpose, the whole truth is the only thing that’s worth your time. Be brutally honest with yourself and stare everything that scares you in the face…until you can love it.”

Steven McKellar is a musician, painter, and poet from Cape Town, South Africa. After a 20-year career in music, touring globally with his band, Civil Twilight, Steven began releasing his first solo records and returned to his roots in painting. As a child, he was trained in realism by his aunt and renowned South African artist, Donna McKellar, before finding community and creative outlet through music and poetry.

In September 2022, Steven released, ‘Nama,’ a textural and rhythmic exploration of his South African roots and identity. ‘Nama’ is a follow-up to two earlier musical releases, ‘Ethio,’ and ‘Belleville Demos’— soon to be reissued.

After a debut solo show of his early paintings in Nashville, TN, Steven has been refining his process and deepening his relationship to the medium through the exploration of identity. ‘Just Passing Through,’ is his latest series of paintings, sketches, and pastels of everyday objects that are endowed with meaning on his journey of personal growth. He will be showing his work in early 2023 at El NIDO in Los Angeles.

Listen to the podcast on Spotify

Introduction

On December 3rd, 2022, interdisciplinary artists Stevie Kincheloe and Steven Dayvid McKeller performed a sonic-poetic-performance, “Who Would I Be” at El NIDO, Los Angeles. I was so impressed with this performance, a few days later, I invited them back to record a podcast. Even after that, I have been thinking about what they did and what they revealed in terms of identity and relationship.

The performance was a mixture of gestures, experimental sound, improvisational poetry captured through a microphone, sampled and looped. This was done at different stations in the exhibition space. There was an electric guitar, amp, dogs-lead, drinking glasses, journals, sample plus looping machines, bits of rough paper and odd metal parts for Stevie and Steven to interact and then channel sound through a microphone to be looped into a soundscape.They were tied together by twine (about six feet apart) as they made a gesture the space between them got shorter and shorter. The performance began in silence, both staring intently into each other’s eyes. Then after a few minutes, each took an object/instrument to create sound. Each gesture they made became the beginning layers of the soundscape. They also used a microphone for improvisational poetry that looped. In regards, to how it happened, there may have been a “play-book” but no real fixed plan. Stevie and Steven could easily jump outside the boundaries. I hoped they would, and they certainly did.

Watching the two interact was a sincere experience. From time to time they returned to stare at one another. And then, the cycle began again. Sound was channeled into a sampling machine and then a loop. The finished soundscape became a profound score of interaction about identity and relationship. The performance, “Who Would I Be?” lasted about 15 minutes. Afterwards, there was a short break followed by a Q & A. There was a lot of emotion by the performers and the audience, some were teary-eyed, others were aw-struck. There was much to take in. With everything I understand about performance art, there was nothing that could have prepared me for such a raw experience. From what I have described here one can understand the fascinating conversation that would come about through our podcast, I hope you enjoy the listen.

VC PROJECTS PODCAST “CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ART”

Interview with Stevie Kincheloe and Steven Dayvid McKeller - Entity/Identity: An Intimate Collaboration

In this episode, we meet in candlelight with interdisciplinary artists Stevie Kincheloe and Steven Dayvid McKeller to discuss their sonic and poetic performance “Who Would I Be.”
Within our talk, we learn about their partnership as well as their collaborative efforts that touch on aspects of entity/identity.

The artists reflect on what it means to exist within the moving landscape, searching for truth, surrendering, awakening and honoring one’s own rite of passage. We also explore their studio practice, and how this type of performance informs other mediums Stevie and Steven work in.

In the performance “Who Would I Be” interdisciplinary artists Stevie Kincheloe and Steven McKellar explore the role intimate Relationship plays in individual growth, refinement, and identity.

“Intimate relationship is something we choose each day, each moment. It is something we are free to hold on to or free to let go of.”

Connecting the artists as they move in a circular pattern while they create, is the delicate thread of choice. Each holds in their hand the symbolism of that choice and the power to let go of it.