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DIVINE ELECTRONICS...
Emmett Palaima is an artist working with electronics and esoteric processes of sound creation. His work is conceptually rooted in the idea that technology and magic are one and the same, and that electricity is a manifestation of the divine or elemental forces underlying physical reality. He creates instruments which explore the experience of sound as an embodied, physical process and the sculptural beauty of the systems used in sound creation.
His practice approaches music history through a materialist lens: that the technological tools used to make music drive its stylistic development, and that by building new platforms for sonic experience, it is possible to advance the music-historical process. A key feature of this approach is collaboration, making the instruments he creates accessible to other performers thereby sharing and more fully exploring their sonic and creative potential. This approach centers on a long-term body of work building towards the creation of TEMPLE-65536: the world’s largest spatial audio instrument as a permanent installation open to artists and composers from around the world.
PAST WORKS...
He has been an artist-in-residence at Harvestworks and a recipient of a NYSCA Support for Artists Grant. In 2024, he opened Chambers Hum, a public sound artwork developed in collaboration with the NYC MTA, active seven days a week on the Chambers St A/C subway platform. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Currents New Media Festival and Fusebox Festival. He has worked as a Sound Technologist for immersive installations with Meow Wolf Creative Studios and Dadalab, and contributed to projects for the Whitney Biennial, the Palm Springs Art Museum, and the CalArts MTIID Program. He has toured as a guitarist with Elizabeth Colour Wheel and played electronic ensemble sets at Moogfest and MASS MoCA. He has also worked professionally as a designer of guitar pedals and synthesizers. His practice is a consolidation of these diverse influences, combining elements of functional and aesthetic design, sound, performance and architectural space. He lives in New York City.
CV...
CV PDF...
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IIDR Interview
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3580885
https://www.batshittimes.com/emmett-palaima-blind-legions
https://www.clotmag.com/interviews/emmett-palaima-analysing-modern-technology-through-an-innately-spiritual-lens
https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/music/2020-11-16/live-purification-ritual-debuts-dumpster-fires-in-stereo/
CONTACT...
Email: emmett@hammerheadaudio.com
IG: @hammerhead_audio