Finalist artists from around the world will present their audiovisual works in the annual Fresh Minds Festival Finalist Encore at the end of this week.
Kim Kattari, assistant professor in the department of performance studies, said the pieces on display are a blend of sight and sound.
“This usually doesn’t mean just a music video,” Kattari said. “This is like, back in the day, sometimes screensavers on Windows Media Player would change according to the music, like it might get red when the music got louder.”
Each item on display is selected by student curators, and last year 679 students curated almost 200 submissions. Jeff Morris, associate professor of performance studies, said this is one of the ways the festival engages students.
“We thought this approach would be a great way to get students actively involved,” Morris said. “They’re definitely exercising critical thinking, encountering new things.”
Morris thought of the Fresh Minds Festival some time ago, but its creation finally came to be through the Tier One Program — a funding program geared towards involving a large number of students in research or creativity to improve A&M’s research reputation.
“It’s definitely been successful as far as getting large numbers of students together, definitely more than the hundred that was required,” Morris said. “And I’ve been doing some travelling lately, and I’m pleased to see the recognition that it’s gotten worldwide.”
Now in its second season, the Fresh Minds Festival takes place in a black box theatre whose surround sound encompasses the audience. Morris said a new 21-foot projection screen has been installed into the theatre.
“It comes pretty close to filling your field of view,” Morris said.
John Philp, music junior, said the Fresh Minds Festival is a chance to explore music and audiovisual works that students typically wouldn’t see.
“They have the main events, and they also have student compositions at A&M and other things going on,” Philp said.
Of the finalists showing their pieces, the winner of the second season is the piece “Mondrian Variations” by Professor Jaroslaw Kapuscinski of Stanford University. Based off of the artwork of Piet Mondrian, the sound depends on the movement of intersecting lines that move across the screen of their own will.
The Encore festival will take place Thursday and Friday at the Liberal Arts and Humanities building from 7:30-9:00 p.m. Admission is free, but seating is limited.