SPARK has always been about showcasing the work of artists of all types in the Circle City in our favorite public places. But on Wednesday, October 19, from 6 to 9 p.m., we’re taking that idea to the max in a way that’s never been done before. In a very short time span, you can sample the commissioned work of about 65 local artists: musicians, composers, video artists, and poets. Like all SPARK programs, it’s free.
What a Wednesday is an assemblage of experiences:
Evening Embers — Let the ambient sounds of new compositions and improvisations by Indianapolis-based musicians Jordan Munson and Rob Funkhouser wash over you, through the Monument Circle sound system. Starts at 6 pm.
Public Art Tour — Inspired by the recent Public Art Census produced by Rokh – a cultural equity research & design studio – take a tour highlighting Downtown’s public works by artists of the global majority (Black-Diaspora, Asian, Latinx, dual-heritage, Indigenous, and Women). Tour led by artist Greg Rose. Starts at 6 pm.
Circle Anthology — At 7 pm, 27 poets share the (up to) 200 words they write to respond to the history, spirit, and symbols of the Circle. A sample from Lasana Kazembe’s wartime:
history comes a-calling
demanding it be listened to
dissected dealt with
who whose
were
those
lives that
gave their lives as
sun and sea do or
once did? who? sons?
sons of ones?
The roster includes Kazembe, Chantal Massey, JL Kato, Alessandra Lynch, Nasreen Khan, Karen Kovacik, Mitchell Douglas, and many more. Read all their poems here. The poems will air later on WQRT FM from the Monument Circle speakers as part of the Circle Sounds series. Hear all of the poems here.
The Indianapolis Review Editor Natalie Solmer and Big Car Executive Director Jim Walker invited the participating poets.
No More No Place — Curated and organized by Indianapolis multimedia artist and IUPUI professor Jordan Munson, this audio-visual collage pairs two-minute instrumental audio works by local composers with eclectic video art beamed onto Monument Circle’s ten-story projection system and played through the 360-degree speakers. The show kicks off at about 8 p.m. See the trailer here.
The cumulative power of the work, Jordan says, is the best way to bust the old myth of “India-No-Place” once and for all.
“It has been an amazing opportunity curating such a large collection of works from Indianapolis musicians and filmmakers,” says Jordan. “It has once again confirmed for me that this city has a deep and diverse pool of talent in our creative community. More than many people realize.”
Jordan enjoyed selecting whose sounds to pair with whose images—and the surprising, stylistic effects created, from intense to contemplative. Jordan hopes the project will “spark” conversation and future collaboration among the artists involved. He also believes No More No Place paints a fairly broad picture of Indianapolis. “We are all experiencing the same place, but in often wholly different ways.”
With mammoth-sized projection, immersive sound, and so much local creativity, No More No Place couldn’t happen anywhere else but Monument Circle. Or Indianapolis.
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ABOUT SPARK: SPARK Monument Circle is presented by Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy Inc., and the City of Indianapolis — with support from the Capital Improvement Board and the Indiana War Memorials Commission. The goal is to spark Monument Circle with art, games, music, and socializing. SPARK at the Circle goes through Friday, October 28— Mondays through Thursdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday evenings 5-8 p.m., and Fridays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
