Fire Museum & Sonic Worlds Present: Kaethe Hostetter's Impressions of Ethiopia: for solo violin and electronics with Flux Bros and Ray Toy

Friday, March 1, 2024

7:30 p.m.

Studio 34(4522 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19143)

Kaethe Hostetter's Impressions of Ethiopia: for solo violin and electronics:

This is a collection of musical vignettes by American violinist and composer Kaethe Hostetter of Ethiopian group QWANQWA. Sourcing from her 11 years living in Addis Ababa, she transports you to the bustling streets of the East African metropolis, evoking the crackling sounds of a saxophone blaring out of a barbershop radio, a shepherd's flute melody turned dub reggae, the fervent dancing on packed dirt floors of a rural honey-wine bar, and the funky big band psychedelic sounds of Ethiopia's "Golden Era".

Flux Bros:

Flux Bros are the antidote to poisonous artifacts. The flux brothers DESTROY ALL art. Eternal is the flux force. It expels flux. It broils fervently. It jumps willy-nilly. Art isn't ready to accept its own detritus, so we leap into the repertoire again. 

This performance will last 35 minutes and features Fluxus scores from the 1960s alongside our original works.

-Brothers Flux 

Ray Toy:

Ray Toy (also known as Ive Yos, Iva Yos, Ray Yalisove, and Rachel Yalisove) is a writer and artist who debuted their first published novel, “Creep Sex” at Spoonbill & Sugartown Books in New York, NY. The book reflects Ray Toy’s comedic voice that first came to light in a series of funny art performances at The Cavendish Arms and The Fox & Firkin in London, UK and Good Good Comedy Theatre, Philadelphia in 2019. Toy currently performs regularly at various venues around Philadelphia including Headlong Dance Theater and Plays & Players Theatre. They have also written and produced video art in collaboration with filmmaker and actress, Amy Frear. In 2020, the duo was featured in a curated video art exhibition at Philadelphia’s Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). Toy has given artist talks at the ICA, the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). Ray will be reading from their new book Love Rain.

Organized by Visual Studies and English faculty Matt O'Hare and supported by the Tri-Co Philly Program; part of the Hurford Center's Sonic Worlds series.

hav.to/sonicworlds