Film Screening: Koyaanisqatsi
with Interactive Sound Installation by Justin Sherburn
As we near the end of the programming season exploring our relationship to nature and technology, we’re excited to host a screening of the first in the Qatsi trilogy Koyaanisqatsi.
Koy.yanna.scott.see (from the Hopi language), noun. 1. crazy life. 2. life disintegrating. 3. life in turmoil. 4. life out of balance. 5. a state of life that calls for another way of living.
A film that narrates the impact of industrialization on the planet, through a series of stunningly eery moving images, all amplified by the score by Phillip Glass. Join us in the amphitheater at Laguna Gloria – just a stone’s throw away from the restless urban center, with the backdrop of the lagoon, where we’ll screen the iconic film accompanied by a pre-show interactive sound installation by Justin Sherburn of music group Montopolis.
Before the screening, engage with the music of Philip Glass in an installation created by composer Justin Sherburn of the Montopolis ensemble. Works from the Glass catalog will be programmed through digital synthesizers, and midi control interfaces will be available for audience members to modulate the music in real time. Learn the basics of subtractive synthesis while performing along with the iconic compositions of Phillip Glass.
This screening is open to the public and admission is free. Skip the line with advance registration, or register upon walk-up. Seating, complimentary refreshments, and the sound installation will open at 6:00P, and the film will begin around 6:45P. Seating for the amphitheater is on grassy dirt and stone. Please bring your own ground seating for your comfort.
We encourage you to arrive early to grab a bite for purchase at our onsite cafe Spread & Co. or a made-to-order pizza from Small’s Pizza pop-up.
Small’s Pizza Special Menu
For accommodation requests, please email [email protected] in advance.
Directed by Godfrey Reggio
Music by Phillip Glass
Cinematography by Ron Fricke
1982, 86 minutes, Not Rated.
About Justin Sherburn
Justin Sherburn is a composer, producer, and musical director based in Austin, Texas. He composes for feature films and produces music for theater and dance companies as well as writing and recording music for his groups Montopolis and Highway Lights. In 2019, he was awarded the Innovations grant by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Mid-America Arts Alliance. His previous awards include the audience award at SXSW Film Festival, "Best Music" at the Ocean Blue Film Festival, the B Iden Payne award for best musical director and best original score, and the Austin Critics Table award for Music Composition.
He has had a long and varied career, working with indie rock group Okkervil River, the tango orchestra “Glovertango” and the swing band 8 1/2 Souvenirs, sharing the stage with legends such as Willie Nelson, Roky Erickson, Brian Setzer and Wilco, appearing on the David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, and Jimmy Fallon television shows, and performing at festivals around the globe from Coachella to Primavera Sound in Barcelona to the Laneway Festival in Australia.
Justin Sherburn has had a decades long career as a pianist and guitarist performing jazz, rock, folk and tango and embracing the traditional role that each of these genres demand. As a composer, he draws on these traditions within a modern classical and rock framework. His original compositions combine traditional orchestral instrumentation with analog synthesizers, digital programming, and field recordings.