Deru Coming to BRIC, 3/26

BRIC is pleased to welcome Emmy Award-winning composer, sound designer and producer Deru to BRIC House, where he will be performing 1979 on Saturday, March 26. 1979 is a concept album and sculptural object, featuring nine songs performed live by Deru and accompanied by nine short films by video artist Anthony Ciannamea that are housed in a customized handheld video projector creating a truly immersive visual and aural experience specifically adapted for the stage.

The subject matter is nostalgic and emotive, focusing on common origins and shared human experiences. Deru: "There's not a doubt in my mind that memory is our greatest gift. Our memories give us access to time, identity and dreams. I have long explored memories through stories and songs, documenting them in order to share them further. 1979 is a celebration of memory in its essential, shared nature." Tickets for this event are on-sale now via BRICArtsMedia.org.

Benjamin Wynn a.k.a. Deru grew up in Chicago, where his earliest influences came across the airwaves of the legendary University of Chicago radio station, WHPK. Listening to hip-hop and specifically its use of static in music, Wynn began his first forays into manipulating sound. He continued his sonic explorations at the California Institute of Arts, where he studied synthesis, digital signal processing, acoustics, music theory and composition, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Music Technology. While at CalArts, Ben also delved into world music, studying Balinese gamelan, African drumming and hand percussion. His multi-layered musical sensibility combines hip-hop, electronic, world music and classical composition. As Deru, Wynn has released three albums on Mush Records, Merck Records, and Neo Ouija respectively, as well as remixes and tracks for compilations on labels like Hometapes, Ghostly International, Mille Pleateaux, and a ballet score for Wayne McGregor and the Paris Opera Ballet. For more information, follow Deru on Facebook and Twitter.

Armed with her violin, loop pedal and voice, sonic weaver Hannah Epperson will open the night with her beautiful musical landscapes. As a stirring solo performer and talented collaborative artist, she has joined forces with a versatile cast of collaborators across a spectrum of genres, including poet Shane Koyczan, Julianna Barwick, Porcelain Raft, We Are The City, and numerous others. More recently, these creative explorations have included composing and performing for interdisciplinary film and dance companies across the country and in New York, where she now resides. Hannah's breadth as a collaborative and compositional powerhouse stems from an eclectic experiential and educational background: from learning Appalachian folk tunes by ear with a cowgirl in Utah to traveling through Scandinavia and Europe as an accompanist; or from touring her solo project by sailboat with permaculturists to accompanying Flamenco dancers in Spain, before finishing her honors degree in Human Geography and representing Canada at World Championships for ultimate Frisbee in 2015. For more information, follow Hannah Epperson on Facebook and Twitter.

BRIC is the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, and one of the largest in New York City. The organization presents and incubates fresh work by artists and media-makers that reflects the diversity of New York. BRIC programs reach hundreds of thousands of people each year.

BRIC's main venue, BRIC Arts | Media House, offers a public media center, a major contemporary art exhibition space, two performance spaces, a glass-walled TV studio, and artist work spaces.

Some of BRIC's most acclaimed programs include the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival in Prospect Park, several path-breaking public access media initiatives, including the BRIC TV, and a renowned contemporary art exhibition series. BRIC also offers education and other vital programs at BRIC House and throughout Brooklyn.

In addition to making cultural programming genuinely accessible, BRIC is dedicated to providing substantial support to artists and media makers in their efforts to develop work and reach new audiences.

BRIC is unusual in both presenting exceptional cultural experiences and nurturing individual expression. This dual commitment enables us to most effectively reflect New York City's innate cultural richness and diversity.

Learn more at BRICartsmedia.org.