Music
by Sarah Belle Reid & Johanna Beyer
Film
by Sarah Belle Reid & Jennifer Bewerse
Mail Art
by Esther Ruiz
about the art
This month, we’re remixing film and visual art from the MFYI archives by Sarah Belle Reid and Esther Ruiz, inviting us to dive into the infinite and explore new landscapes.
In a film that is part surreal performance film, part imaginary expedition to an unknown planet, Sarah Belle Reid creates a sonic world inspired by Johanna Beyer’s unfinished opera. Composed in 1938, Music of the Spheres is one of the only surviving fragments of Johanna’s work and is the first known composition scored for electronic instruments by a female composer. Using trumpet and synthesizers, Sarah performs the notated score of Music of the Spheres, framing it with an improvised prelude and postlude that imagine how the unfinished opera could have sounded.
Esther Ruiz creates minimalist sculptures by blending industrial materials with vibrant colors, drawing inspiration from science fiction, geology, and the interplay of natural and synthetic elements. Her work often features geometric forms in neon, concrete, and plexiglass, evoking futuristic landscapes and altered perceptions. The mail art is from Esther’s “Wells” series inspired by science fiction, black holes, and portals. The amorphous plexiglass shapes are rimmed in otherworldly light that warp any reflections and project alternative views of the surrounding environment.