The Center for the Arts at Monmouth University has announced its first of two events this semester featuring the work of multimedia artist Paul Miller – aka DJ Spooky. On February 20 at 4:30 pm in Wilson Auditorium, there will be a free screening and faculty discussion featuring Rebirth of a Nation, Miller’s remix of D.W. Griffith’s 1915 epic film The Birth of a Nation. Please note that Miller will not be present for this event, however he will be on campus on March 21 for his multimedia performance, Book of Ice, performing with students and faculty from the Department of Music and Theatre.
Miller created Rebirth of a Nation as a commentary on D.W. Griffith’s 1915 film The Birth of a Nation. Miller’s contemporary film parallels, deconstructs, and remixes Griffith’s work by innovatively using DJ techniques. His remake brings the film into the 21st century, addressing several of the original and controversial work’s racist tropes. The original film was based on a novel and play by Thomas Dixon, called The Clansman. Rebirth of a Nation has been presented in spaces such as the MoMA in New York, at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, and at the Theatre Chatelet in Paris, France.
The event will feature a discussion led by Monmouth faculty from a variety of disciplines. Including: Johanna Foster (Sociology), Walter Greason (History), Mark Ludak (Photography) and Brook Nappi (Anthropology). The first half of the film will screen starting at 4:30pm. Faculty will lead a discussion in the middle of the event, and the second half of the film will follow until 6:45pm.
On March 21 at 6 pm in Pollak Theatre, Miller will visit Monmouth University to present his Book of Ice—a multimedia performance and discussion he will stage with musicians from campus. In this free multimedia performance/talk, Miller discusses his journeys to Antarctica, climate change, and the creation of The Book of Ice, using Antarctica-related data to create maps, graphics, sound, music, and multimedia performances.
Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky, is an established composer, multimedia artist, and author. He travels around the world performing solo, with chamber groups, and with orchestras, while giving talks at prominent universities, museums, and conferences. His DJ Mixer app has seen more than 12 million downloads and in 2012- 2013 he was the first artist-in-residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. He is also the executive editor of ORIGIN Magazine. He’s produced and composed work for Yoko Ono, Thurston Moore, and scores of artists and award-winning films. Miller’s work as a media artist has appeared in the Whitney Biennial; The Venice Biennial for Architecture; the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, Germany; Kunsthalle, Vienna; The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh; and many other museums and galleries. He has been featured everywhere from CNN to SyFy. His new book The Imaginary App, published by MIT Press, was released in 2014. National Geographic named Miller a National Geographic Emerging Explorer for 2014/2015.
This event is part of the Center for the Arts’ArtNow: Performance, Art, & Technology series at Monmouth University. ArtNow is a visiting artist series that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries and embraces provocative works that challenge what we know and what we think we know. The event is free and open to the public. Additional information can be found at www.monmouth.edu/mca.
