Meditative Chiming with Katie Shlon

“Meditative Chiming” will explore the creation of chimes with reclaimed wood, metal, and ceramic objects.

Ages 16+

This workshop has the intention of cultivating intimacy with land and exploring our roles as public remediators for the environment. This is an experimental workshop meaning there’s no right or wrong way to construct these objects. Students will get the chance to relax and let their intuition guide them through the process. The chimes made may be a peaceful symbol of hope in creative re-use, or an alarm that sounds for an urgent re-thinking of our waste practices and effects on the environment.

Roughly two hours will be devoted to students making their own chimes! We will spend the first 30 minutes & last 30 minutes of this workshop doing listening exercises to concentrate our awareness on the conceptual meaning of the sound of these objects, in conversation with the wind, birds, and whatever else is sounding near the Mill. Because reuse is an important element of the workshop, students would be encouraged to bring supplies for instrument making. Ideas for chimes: scraps of wood, dowels, ceramic shards, beads, various brass and copper cups and pipes, and whatever else seems to have potential for exploration. The artist will also have some additional objects available for exploration. The artist will supply pairs of scissors and/or wire cutters, a roll of fishing line, and several yards of rope for construction.

Student materials List:

-5-10 objects gathered from around your house, yard, sidewalks, that have the potential for sound (or not). Think scraps of wood, rocks ceramic pieces, beads, brass and copper cups and/or pipes, and whatever else seems to have potential for exploration

-A roll of thin jewelry/beading wire, filament or fishing line

– A pair of scissors.

Instructor will provide:

-Chime bases and hooks

-Some scissors, rope, and wire

-Additional chime materials for more sound exploration

PLEASE NOTE: Instructor requires proof of vaccination.

About the Instructor:

Katie Addada Shlon is a conceptual artist who uses sound, sculpture, and performance to explore the complex relationships we have with architecture, the land, and each other. Their work centers improvisation, meditation, and collaboration to reveal the interconnectedness of all life on this land.