Welcome to the website of Shawn Decker, sound artist, composer, sculptor, and teacher. In addition to the news about my latest activities found below, there is full documentation of all my sound installation work (the artworks link), a music section with 3 full CDs worth of material that is all playable online, and links to my latest professional materials (the bio link) and a page of links to my School of the Art Institute of Chicago classes (teaching). Click on any image for a slideshow. Many pages have both sound and video at bottom of the page as well. Enjoy!
I have just uploaded a set of excerpts, as well as a couple of photos, from The Pheadra Escapes, A denatured song cycle for voice, electronics, and sfxs (Lynn Book) and violin, analog synthesizer, and laptop (Shawn Decker). These excerpts are from the 60 minute live performance at the Outer Ear Festival, Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago, IL, in Jan 2012.
Here are the excerpts:
I am teaching a one week workshop Moving and Shaking the World: Physical Computing for Artists at Shakerag in Sewanee, Tennessee this summer on physical computing for artists - The workshop will be from June 10-June 16, and will provide a great hands-on introduction to artists who are looking to add environmental sensing, motion, sound, etc. to their artwork - or for whatever project you might have in mind!
Tonight, Feb 23rd, listen to a recording of a live performance of The Phaedra Escapes, a new song cycle that is a collaboration between Lynn Book and myself on NUMBERS.FM. This is a new work that we recently performed as part of the Experimental Sound Studio's Outer Ear Series.
Jan-Erik Andersson and I have been working on the Sounding Dome Sauna for for two years now, and it just opened to the public on June 1, 2011! This project is one of several artist-designed and constructed saunas that are part of the SaunaLab project, one of the many projects that make up the City of Turku Finland's European Cultural Capital 2011 activities.
This weekend, April 29, and 30th, 2011, I am presenting two scores for dance works by Mordine and Company Dance Theater for their NEXT 2011 concert. Lifespeak (2011), a new work, will be premiered at this concert. I will be performing the entire 25' score live from the stage. Also shown will be Illuminations (2009) which is a major work from 2 years ago for which I also created the music (based on a section of Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians). Both works were choreographed by Mordine & Co. Artistic Director Shirley Mordine, and both pieces will feature lighting and visual design by my good friend John Boesche.
If you are in Chicago for ART CHICAGO (at the merchandise Mart, April 28-31), stop by to check out the panel discussion I will be participating in. This event is part of the Talk Shop series, and is free of charge (once you have paid to get into Art Chicago). The event is sponsored by the International Sculpture Society, and was organized by Chicago art critic Polly Ulrich. The talk is from 4:30-5:30, Saturday April 30. Here is the description:
Jan-Erik Andersson and I have been busy working on the Sounding Dome Sauna, one of several artist-designed and constructed saunas that are part of the SaunaLab project. These saunas will open to the public on June 1, as part of the City of Turku Finland's cultural capital 2011 activities.
My current collaboration with Finnish Artist Jan-Erik Andersson, the "Sound Sauna" is part of the SaunaLab project, which is set to be unveiled as part of Turku, Finland's run in 2011 as Cultural Capital of Europe.
