The Collective
The Bapudi Collective is:
Cuca Esteves, Rob McLendon, James McLendon.
The Collective also includes the contributions of
Elif Savas, an opera singer from Istanbul, and Cassia Streb,
a Canadian viola player who graduated from CalArts.
For more information:
contact the collective by email.
ARTIST BIOS
Maria "Cuca" Esteves
Maria de los Angeles "Cuca" Esteves, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, has been presenting her works with sound,
traditional composition and electronic music, in Argentina, Paris, Holland, Hungary, London, Australia,
and lately, in Southern California and the U.S. Two years ago she started exploring the combination of
spoken word and the theatricals of music with the Bapudi Collective (James McLendon, Rob McLendon).
The result has been works combining text, sound, unusual instruments and machines. Some of them include
"Two Dried Apricots and a Rotten Walnut" presented at RedCat in 2006, "Bico: The Tekno-Tango Musical",
"Catholic Dating," "Dogs of Riverside," and others, presented at the Electric Lodge,
Riverside Metropolitan Museum, Molaa,
and Koo's.
cucaesteves.com
Rob McLendon
Rob McLendon is a filmmaker and writer living in Pasadena. He manages to avoid writing by
working on electronics and performance art projects.
bapuji.stumbleupon.com
James McLendon
James is a butcher of images -- a surgeon of sound. He is not only a multitalented musician,
but also a video editor (Inner Sanctum, Transcendence, The Rise and Fall of Irvine Meadows West),
sound designer, web designer, and photographer.
Elif Savas
A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Elif Savas graduated with degrees in
violin and opera from Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul. She debuted in the
Istanbul International Music Festival, singing the role of Blonde in
Mozart's Die Entfuhrung Aus dem Serail. After moving to the U.S. in 1994,
she won several opera competitions and recorded a CD of lieder, "Songs from
the Age of the Closet." She also directed a documentary movie, "Coup," about
the military coups d'etat in Turkey and published an internet cookbook. Elif
writes monthly columns about Los Angeles art life, sex, and gourmet cuisine
for various Turkish magazines. She currently resides in Los Angeles, where
she collaborates with multimedia artists, filmmakers, dancers, and
performance artists in shows throughout the city.
For information, updates, and to get on her mailing list,
visit elifsavas.com.
DSS
DSS is a group of improvisers based in Los Angeles working in both
acoustic and electronic media. Their sonic palate is composed of
mixer feedback, DIY and custom hacked circuitry, FM transmitters, and
(amplified) viola. Performances involve a mix of free improv, graphic
score interpretation, and audience interaction. At the crux of this
improvisation practice is the use of FM transmitters which serve to
tie each of the instruments together and diffuse the notion of
control between the group and audience.
dssimprov.com
Aaron Drake
Aaron Drake is a composer based in Los Angeles, California and a
recent graduate of the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). At
CalArts, with the aid of Mark Trayle, Michael Pisaro, and David
Rosenboom (et al), Drake experimented with sociological principles
and their application in his compositional/artistic strategies. His
works for radio as well as those for performers have been featured at
many festivals, both nationally and internationally. Currently, Drake
is working with a group of artists on Norman Klein's interactive
installation "The Imaginary 20th Century" which will tour
internationally in 2008-10.
Phillip Stearns
Phillip Stearns is a Los Angeles based sound artist and composer who
has recently graduated from the Experimental Sound Practices program
at the California Intsitute of the Arts where he studied under Mark
Trayle and Sara Roberts. His work deals primarily with the subversion
of commonly used electronic objects and computer software associated
with the production of music. This subversion has manifest in
compositions made with the use of mixer feedback, circuit bent and
DIY electronic audio/video devices, hacked or broken software and
various other unique processes. Phillip's art practice extends beyond
composition and includes sound installation works that deal with the
notion of community, space, isolation, and interconnectedness.
Unifying elements in his present work are improvisation, adaptation,
subversion, emergence, and experimentation.
Cassia Streb
Cassia Streb is a violist, improviser and composer from Vancouver,
Canada. As an active performer of contemporary and experimental music
she has worked as a soloist and chamber musician for Christian Wolff,
James Tenney and Michael Pisaro. Cassia performs with Kyai Dorodasih
Javanese Gamelan Ensemble and the Vinny Golia Large Ensemble. She has
commissioned and performed a large number of works by composers both
established and emerging. She has worked closely with Jurg Frey, John
Zorn, Morton Subotnik, Mark Trayle, David Rosenboom, Wadada Leo
Smith, Radu Malfatti and members of the California EAR Unit. Cassia
holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Victoria and earned
her Master's Degree in Music Performance from the California
Institute of the Arts.
Elke Luyten
In 1998, Elke began movement studies with Thomas Leabhart, continuing as his apprentice
and assistant teacher until 2004. She appeared in Leabhart's productions and danced with
Laurie Cameron. In 2004 she started developing her own choreographic work. Currently, Elke
teaches, choreographs and performs under Hippocampe, Centre d'Etude de Mouvement in Paris.
She performs Corporeal Mime improvisations that embody thought in movement. Corporeal
Mime was created by Etienne Decroux (1898-1991) in France, as a strong reaction against
realism and the dominance of words on stage. Elke is currently working on her new
piece, "A Little of More", which will be presented this summer at REDCAT's NOW Festival.
Meg Wolfe
Choreographer/performer Meg Wolfe
is creator and curator of Anatomy Riot,
a monthly series of small-scale dance & performance works; an editor of the dance journal, ITCH;
and co-founder of the collective, EMPTY ROOM: dance projects. In 2003 she relocated to
Los Angeles from New York City. She had been active in NYC's downtown dance community
and internationally active since 1990.
dancemegwolfe.org
Jeremy Hahn
Jeremy Hahn is working to cultivate the idea of the "informed dancer,"
in himself. He spends his daily life as a creative creature based in
Los Angeles, honing the mind, body and soul though process and
following the threads where they unfold. He has worked with many artist
along the way: Loretta Livingston, Meg Wolfe, Kristen Smiarowski, Hana
Van Der Kolk, String Theory, Nicole Klaymoon and others. Recently he
has begun investigation into his dance/performance collaboration
nebula. He creates for all that is seen, unseen and all the energy in
between and finds peace where he can which gives him hope.
April Hava Shenkman
April Hava Shenkman is a performance artist that creates avant-garde visually charged
performances that reach a place beyond words. Her last solo, "Cupcake Clown Conniption"
was performed at Highways in September. She is currently creating a new show, to be
presented this summer.
Patricia Martinez
Argentinean composer and multi-disciplinary artist Patricia Martinez is currently pursuing her
doctorate in Music Composition at Stanford University. She presented her works and organized events
in France, Holland, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, Costa Rica, United States, England,
and South Africa. Patricia is currently working with music, video art and poetry.
Linda Austin
Linda Austin, founder of Performance Works Northwest, in Portland, OR, has been making
dance for two decades in New York City, Mexico and the Northwest and elsewhere. Her work
continues to be inspired by the puzzle of the body's awkward, lyrical and accidental beauty.
performanceworksnw.org/austinbio.html
