Rashaad Newsome


In this picture, I am testing the sound levels for my pieces The Conductor (Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi) and The Conductor (Primo Vere, Omnia Sol Temperat), which will be exhibited at PS1's upcoming "Greater New York" show. The videos are the first and second movements of a six-part video installation that sets Carl Orff's Carmina Burana against a video montage of expressive hand gestures, extracted from popular rap videos, and a musical background of hip-hop beats. As Orff's iconic oratorio opens with O Fortuna, a closely edited sequence of bejeweled gestures appears to conduct the music.