Co-curated by Bailey Placzek, the Museum’s curator of collections, and Ben Coleman, a British multidisciplinary artist, Still in Sound explores how visitors may experience abstract visual language through sound. In this video, learn more about Michael Schumacher sound interpretations of Clyfford Still artworks.
Based in Brooklyn, Michael J. Schumacher has innovated in the area of spatialized sound and algorithmic composition since the 1980s, creating multi-channel, generative “Room Pieces” presented in galleries, museums, concert halls, and public and private spaces. XI records has published a DVD set of five sound installations as computer applications. His installation at EMPAC ran 24/7 for one year. “Living Room Pieces” is a generative installation designed for home listening. “The Portable Multi-channel Sound System” is a completely immersive environment that fits in a suitcase, with which he has toured Europe and the United States. Schumacher’s compositions have been presented at Roulette, Issue Project Room, Artists Space, Ostrava Music Days, Transmediale in Berlin, the MCA Lyon, The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Klangraum Krems, The Dream House, etc. His music has been published by Superpang, XI Records, Sub Rosa, Entr’acte, Quecksilber, and Sedimental. Schumacher is the music director of the Liz Gerring Dance Company. He is an adjunct professor at NYU’s Steinhardt and Tandon schools and at Ramapo College in New Jersey. He studied music composition with Stanley Applebaum, Bernhard Heiden, John Eaton, and Vincent Persichetti, and piano with Seymour Bernstein, John Ogdon, and Shigeo Neriki, and has degrees from Indiana University and Juilliard.