Artists:

Shani Aviram
Chris Baldys
Jeff Bethea
John Bezark
Nora Gibson
Gralin Hughes
Andy Thierauf
Jacob Weinberg

About PhillyAV

Founded in 2019, PhillyAV is an artist-led experimental multimedia collective based in Philadelphia. The mission of PhillyAV is to work collaboratively across disciplines to produce, distribute and curate the creation of interactive time based media.

www.phillyav.club

Artist Bios:

Shani Aviram (b. Jerusalem, Israel) is a composer, sound designer and electronic musician currently based in Philadelphia. In her music she works with fragments of memories, conversations and synthesized sounds, exploring forms of musical collage. Often, she will let the machine run wild. She has studied composition with Maggi Payne, Fred Frith and John Bischoffhas performed at The Megapolis Audio Festival, CubeFest at Virginia Tech, and Mills College amongst other institutions. www.shaniaviram.net

John Bezark is a West Philly based creative technologist, video artist and interactive designer. He works primarily in MAX/MSP/Jitter, node.js and webGL to build creative systems that are powered by technology. However, with a background in Theatre Directing, he also believes in making immersive and interactive experiences that are deeply rooted in storytelling and audience agency. He’s fascinated by complex systems, board games and history, and, on the whole, is looking forward to the future.

Nora Gibson is an American, female choreographer and multimedia artist evolving ballet for the 21st century. Gibson is interested in the beauty of the natural world, as evidenced in mathematics and science. Gibson’s hallmark is her unique collaborations, expanding the experience of ballet through her work with scientists, mathematicians, and programmers. Gibson creates multimedia work that features both dance and generative digital graphics. Gibson trained at Baltimore School for the Arts, Chautauqua, and NCSA, and earned a BFA from Tisch, at NYU. In addition to performing in the genres of ballet and contemporary dance in MD, D.C., and NY, Gibson was selected to work from 2010-2013 with Lucinda Childs to perform various iconic 70s works as part of the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage’s Virtual Reconstruction project. Gibson creates live and interactive generative digital work with PhillyAV and Bismuth String Quartet.

Andy Thierauf is a Philadelphia based percussionist who specializes in the creation and performance of contemporary music. He is particularly interested in combining percussion with theater, dance, and technology. Andy teaches at Settlement Music School and is an adjunct professor of percussion at Kutztown University. He is half of stb x at, a dance/percussion duo with dancer and choreographer Sean Thomas Boyt. He has appeared in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Argentina, and across the Midwest at music festivals, conferences, and symposia. His research centers on seamlessly integrating technology into performance to produce collaborative, multi-media presentations with writers, dancers, actors, choreographers, and composers.

Gralin Hughes, Jr. (aka television sky) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Philadelphia, working at the intersection of sound & visual. He merges visual art, and sound design through projection mapping, audio/visual live performances and installation art. His body of work explores the manipulation of fragmented textures through the use of modular synthesis, field recordings and software. His artistic practice focuses on collaborating with visual artists, musicians, galleries and museums on how to activate their performances and spaces in ways that engage audiences more actively. His recent work includes collaborations with muralist Michelle Angela Ortiz, The Philadelphia Jazz Project, and Alex Shaw/The Mandinga Experiment. Gralin holds an MFA in Museum Exhibition Planning and Design from the University of the Arts. When not experimenting in his art studio he teaches creative technology & new media courses.

Jacob Weinberg is an interdisciplinary artist who makes work at the intersection of traditional visual media, electronic music and performance, and technology. Trained as an interdisciplinary painter, his practice is rooted in materiality and the relationship of information to the physical world. In addition to his art practice, he has also taught in classrooms and facilitated community art projects in partnership with the Philadelphia School District and Parks and Rec. His work has been shown across Baltimore and Philadelphia. He holds a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Chris Baldys (a.k.a. little stray) is an artist, musician, songwriter, sound designer, composer, audio engineer, programmer, and writer based in Philadelphia. They have done physical and virtual installation work implementing emotive, immersive, interactive technologies. They don’t see a division between systems and story-telling. They’ve designed (in collaboration with others), programmed, and sound designed for installation pieces, video games, escape rooms, and immersive halloween parties. They are an experienced audio engineer, having edited, mixed, and mastered releases for a slew of projects including music, podcasts, and sound design projects. They work in Javascript, Supercollider, Unity, Blender, MAX/MSP, Ableton Live 10, and really anything to get the job done.They play guitar in the Post-Punk band “Rabbits To Riches” and performs solo music under the name “little stray” in addition to working with John Bezark on information sculptures.