To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s historic landing, the legendary Joshua Light Show teams up with pioneering electronic-rock band Silver Apples for a multimedia spectacular featuring the Houston premiere of Silver Apples’ 1969 composition, Mune Toon.
An early pioneer of “liquid light” shows, The Joshua Light Show is best known for the psychedelic projections it provided at New York’s Fillmore East during the late 1960s. Using colored oils and a battery of lighting effects, the Joshua Light Show performed with the Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix, amongst others, firmly rooting itself in the visual culture of the time. The lightshow is now reinterpreted for our digital age, directed by multimedia artist Josh White, and featuring video artists Bec Stupak, Brock Monroe, and Seth Kirby. While the centerpiece of the original Joshua Light Show was an overhead projector and a transparent container filled with colored oil and water, the performance at Media Archeology utilizes VJ hardware, in addition to a number of modified analog techniques, including live "liquid light."
Formed in 1967 by Simeon Coxe and Danny Taylor, the band Silver Apples made rock music with electronic oscillators instead of electric guitars, creating an individual, minimalist style that anticipated 1970s Krautrock and the electronic dance and indie rock of the 1990s . As a special tribute to Houston and NASA, Silver Apples (currently the solo project of Simeon Coxe) will perform the experimental work, Mune Toon, originally commissioned by the city of New York as part of its official celebration of Apollo 11's world-changing mission. At the moment that Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon's surface, crowds in Central Park were treated to a live performance by Silver Apples. Their free-form-rock electronic instrumental was scheduled for only 16.8 minutes, but went well into the morning. Silver Apples favorites such as "Oscillations" and "Misty Mountain" will top off the night.
Appearing together for the first time in Houston, Silver Apples and the Joshua Light Show create a history-making performance you won’t want to miss.
Produced by The Aurora Picture Show in collaboration with the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Curated by Bree Edwards. Media Archeology is also supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and Houston Arts Alliance through the City of Houston.
Special thanks to the following sponsors of the Opening Party: Katz Coffee, Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Roaring Lion Energy Drink, Ruggles Green, Stockholm Vodka, Treebeards Restaurant. And to our Media Sponsors: Art Lies Contemporary Art Quarterly and KPFT 90.1FM. And finally to our Artist Sponsors: Modern B&B, Aerosol Warfare Gallery, The Chocolate Bar, DiverseWorks Artspace, Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, The Houston Film Commission, Katz Coffee, and Ttweak.
