Creativity, Nature, And Coffee

It might be inspirational enough for some to simply enter the lobby of the renovated and refurbished Sound View hotel in Greenport, with its bank of windows offering up sweeping views of the Long Island Sound. But Erik Warner and his team from Filament Hospitality are bringing another meaning to the “sound” and the “view”: a chance for folks to hear music from musicians curated by Joe’s Pub in New York City, and to see the works of weekly artists-in-residence from now through the month of April as part of its “Uncommon Art” project.

Each of the artists and musicians will spend a week on property drawing inspiration from the North Fork to create a culminating original piece performed and presented for guests and locals to enjoy with Sound View as the creative center.

The chosen artists from many different media — dance, visual art, film, and music — arrive early in the week, and then perform on Friday or Saturday, with a Sunday morning “Coffee with the Creatives” at 10:30 AM, a chance for anyone to come and enjoy a casual Q&A discussion hosted by the current visiting artist and musician. Listeners will be able to learn more about their artistic journey and witness the innovation between different art forms while gazing out over the water. Guided videos will also document the artists’ physical places of inspiration, offering an intimate look into the
creative process.

Last week’s artist-in-residence, choreographer Brendan Fernandes, whose work has been presented at the Getty Museum and the Guggenheim, was relaxed and “felt inspired” over coffee on Sunday morning. On his website, Fernandes describes himself as “a multidisciplinary artist who examines issues of cultural displacement, migration, labor, and queer subjectivity through installation, video, sculpture, and dance.” He’s currently working on a dance piece for the New York Choral Society at the Central Synagogue in NYC, but described the dance he designed for the Sound View sessions as “based on the fluidity of the water, the waves that I see here. So not only did I have a chance to bring my ideas, but the ideas flowed from the environment.”

And that’s the idea, at least according to Warner. “Artists are critical to healthy culture. I wanted to give back to this important community by sharing a place that provides clarity and through that clarity, hopefully inspiration,” he said.

“My team is heavily involved in many artist communities. All of the artists we chose use their medium to bring communities together around their art, creating these moments of connection,” he added. “Our pairing for each weekend is about creating these unique and intimate moments that can only happen when a musician is talking openly with a visual artist at the same time with a filmmaker and so on and so forth. The energy is palpable!”

Filament’s creative director Brian Gorman, who is from the North Fork, said “We’re not about trying to control their process. So, what we sometimes end up with by the end of their 10-day stay is a work-in-progress. It’s so important how context and community impact that creative process. Each artist is matched up with a musician — they’re not working together, but they are both here at the same time. We’re creating an artists’ community, where different artists from different platforms can engage in dialogue and draw inspiration from the natural beauty here, and from each other.”

All of the performances are free to anyone who wants to come and enjoy, along with the Sunday morning coffee.

This week, musician Treya Lam will be in residence, along with film director and writer Jason Chew (http://www.jasonchew.com), with performances on Friday and Saturday, February 1 and 2, and the discussion on Sunday morning, February 3. Upcoming artists include visual artists Erik Bergrin and Julia Bland, and composer Jules Gimbrone.

As far as the future of the program, Warner said, “Ideally, we will be able to host more artists more often, creating a constant and meaningful connection between the artists of the North Fork and New York City.”

To find out more about the artists-in-residence and the musicians curated by Joe’s Pub, visit The Sound View’s website. 

bridget@indyeastend.com