The leaves are falling and the air is growing cooler. With the end of summer, autumn staples such as pumpkin spice coffee, “Storrowing” and the annual invasion of college students remind us where we’ve arrived on the calendar. Synth-tember, an art-meets-science mashup at New Alliance Gallery, is staking a claim to be an essential part of our post-Labor Day traditions.
Synth-tember co-curator and glitch media artist Allison Tanenhaus doesn’t drop spoilers, but she does provide some hint at what to expect. “[Synth-tember] is slated to be a stunning blend of accessible, eye-catching and brain-tickling works,” says Tanenhaus, “spanning interactive, digital, analog, sculptural, conceptual, nostalgic, futuristic, personal, universal and everything in between.”
The event is celebrating its third birthday. That may be toddler age in human years, but in event years, a 3-year-old is expected to demonstrate maturity, poise and sophistication. What once started as a cute gallery with small exhibitions of 10 or so artists has evolved into a grand exhibition of more than 50 creators paired with a series of curatorial events.
This year’s festivities include three main events, starting with the opening gala on Sept. 11, featuring art and music performances by Battlemode, LAVAGXRL and This Bliss.
On Sept. 18, the gallery hosts “Bit-tember,” a creative collaboration between the Synth-tember team and the organizers of Boston Bitdown, the annual chiptune festival. The event includes performances by Dot Dev, Aethernaut and Satyr’s Ghost.
And Synth-tember events conclude with a “Community Day” on Sept. 26. Guests take part in interactive and educational workshops including: lectures, a synthesizer petting zoo, an exhibition of local venders, an interactive music jam room and two workshops (make your own theremin or handheld synth).
One participant Boston music scenesters might recognize is Digital Awareness, a team of visualists clad in signature red jumpsuits. Often positioned to the back corner or venue production booth, DA uplifts production on Boston concerts by filling spaces with colorful, illuminated, live analog projections. The Synth-tember question is: What does Digital Awareness’ artistry look like when it creates its own work instead of amplifying the work of others?
Co-founder of Digital Awareness, Josh Artman, points to the installation “IRL-Captcha” in reply. Says Artman,
“Gallery viewers will be tasked with recreating an on-screen image physically with their bodies, while dealing with our layered and potentially disorienting DA visuals. We wanted to take an interactive approach to this, so it involves less button pushing and more movement-based fun. This time, your body is the DA operator, jumpsuit not included.”
Another participant whose work has been recently featured within the Boston audio-visual art scene is Max Ryan of local DIY production crew Junk Drawer. After half a decade as a video DJ and production artist, Ryan is using the Synth-tember exhibit as a launching pad into a new era of conceptual art.
Ryan describes his installation, “just looking at the sky” as “a multimedia, ready-made piece utilizing 60 unique clocks with the second and hour hands ripped off accompanied by a video projection of a sky.” The video is ripped from ”Call of Duty: Black Ops III,” “a game I have spent roughly 545 hours playing in my adolescent years and still play from time to time.”
How to find Synth-tember? Like all great things, it takes a little bit of effort to find the pot of synths at the end of Somerville’s rainbow …
Once on the outskirts of Union Square, look for the glowing Market Basket sign that tints the sky orange (the good kind). Head to the back of the building; you’ll see a derpy, pink dog graffiti masterpiece Somervillians lovingly known as “Wolftits.” Follow the World War II-era industrial brick buildings. It’s the third door down – you’ll know you’ve hit the right one because you’ll hear live metal music thumping from the upstairs practice spaces. Speak “Friend” and Enter. Find the staircase past Hackspace. As you descend the stairs, you might start to feel an analog tingle. You’ve found the New Alliance Gallery.
Welcome to Synth-tember, where art and science collide to make a new autumn tradition.
Synth-tember takes place at the New Alliance Gallery (438R Somerville Ave., Somerville) on September 11, 18 and 26. Admission is free.
