Heart of a Forest | 2015-2016
In 2015, Spring Creek Project began a collaboration with the composer and multimedia artist Paul Miller, also known as DJ Spooky. The collaboration began when Miller was awarded a residency at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest (the Andrews). During that residency, Miller envisioned creating an “acoustic portrait” of the Andrews by composing a piece based on visits to the forest in each season.
With support from Oregon Community Foundation's Creative Heights grant, Miller was able to bring that vision to life. He visited the Andrews three more times and then, in close collaboration with composer and producer Dana Reason, composed the wind symphony “Heart of a Forest.”
The score, which Miller debuted and recorded with the Oregon State University Wind Ensemble in May 2016, metaphorically explores spring, summer, fall and winter through sound and imagery.
After the debut performance, Miller remixed the “Heart of a Forest” wind symphony to create a multimedia performance, which he toured around Oregon. The remix included live, recorded and electronic music with aerial video of the Andrews, along with an on-stage conversation with a forest ecologist. Tour stops included Enterprise in partnership with Fishtrap, Portland in partnership with World Forestry Center, Newport in partnership with Newport Performing Arts Center, and Bend in partnership with High Desert Museum. Miller has gone on to remix and perform “Heart of a Forest” across the United States and around the world.
About Paul Miller
Paul Miller is known for his genre-bending art, vast catalog of music and work in social justice. He is the author of “Book of Ice,” a multimedia, multidisciplinary study of Antarctica that contemplates climate change and humanity’s relationship with the natural world, as well as “Rebirth of a Nation,” performed by the Kronos Quartet.
In addition to his work as a composer, Miller is also a multimedia artist and author whose work has appeared at the Venice Biennial for Architecture, the Andy Warhol Museum, the Whitney Biennial and others. Miller spent 2012-2013 as the first artist-in-residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and has collaborated with a diverse array of popular musicians, including Yoko Ono, Chuck D and Thurston Moore. He is also a National Geographic Emerging Explorer and has performed at Carnegie Hall.
Explore "Heart of a Forest"
Watch the trailer for "Heart of a Forest":
Watch Paul Miller talk about creating an "acoustic portrait" of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest:
Watch the world premiere of "Heart of a Forest":