Sin Ninguna Imperfección – LISTEN Version (2017) [ 4:36 excerpt ]
8-point source sound installation specially tuned to the 924 Project space
About the piece
Watching the calm river over the sound of lawn mowers on a Sunday afternoon in El Portal, I detected a surface cloud of floating grass clippings slowly moving down stream. As this amorphous shape slowly approached, its outer limits kept changing–kind of like the map of Venezuela each time it’s been revised. The cloud was composed of light, small pieces of fresh cut grass. The grass was of different shades of the same green and some browns. It was cut to similar lengths and each of the individual pieces floated, moving constantly forward at their own pace, toward and away from each other, but never colliding with one another. This occurred while other kinds of activity was happening under water in the Little River. The sunlight changed gradually with the passing of the clouds in the sky, sometimes concealing, sometimes relieving the levels of activity. A great deal of my music has to do with this experiences
The original composition’s instrumental parts are modeled after this experience. The score shows how 13′ 20″ are subdivided into 10 second intervals. Each of the players — any number of them from one to eight — read from a matrix-like score made-up of boxes, some containing numbers and letters, others containing black dots (•). The numbers indicate the amount of evenly spaced consecutive notes to be played within 10 seconds. The letters indicate pitch class in any octave. The dots indicate silence
The piece gets its name from the tape part that accompanies it in performance. The voice heard is that of colleague composer Ricardo Dal Farra. The fixed media composition was originally created as a sound portrait of Dal Farra who has performed it by electronically processing the tape in real-time
Performance History
1996.12.09
Interpretations Series
Gustavo Matamoros: In A Fishtank
Sin Ninguna Imperfección (1991)
Original version for six instruments and fixed media performed by Jan Williams, percussion; Fred Lonberg-Holm, cello; Thomas Buckner, baritone; Gustavo Matamoros, piano; Anthony de Mare, piano; and Davey Williams, electric guitar
Merkin Hall, New York City
SAMPLE SCORE
from In A Fishtank
Interpretations Series, Merkin Hall, New York City
1995.09.15
SHIM and Guests, An Evening of Experimental Music
Sin Ninguna Imperfección (1991)
David Irwin, clarinet; Keith Hedger, trumpet; Philip Gleb, Shakuhachi; David Pate, reeds; David Manson, trombone; Gustavo Matamoros, found objects
Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida
1994.09.09
Sound Portraits and The Syntax Violations
Sin Ninguna Imperfección (1991)
performed by Jan Williams, percussion; and Gustavo Matamoros, piano
Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Buffalo, New York
1994.09.02
Sound Portraits and The Syntax Violations
Sin Ninguna Imperfección (1991)
performed by Jan Williams, percussion; and Gustavo Matamoros, piano
Music Gallery, Toronto, Canada
1994.04.21
Subtropics 6 Festival
Sin Ninguna Imperfección (1991)
Wolfson Auditorium, Miami, Florida
1994.02.26
Explorations in Music Series
Sin Ninguna Imperfección (1991)
performed by Tom Guralnick, reeds; and Gustavo Matamoros, sampler
Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico
1994.02.25
Outpost Experimental Music Series
Sin Ninguna Imperfección (1991)
performed by Tom Guralnick, reeds; and Gustavo Matamoros, sampler
Outpost Performance Space, Albuquerque, New Mexico
1993.12.06
For Sun Ra
Sin Ninguna Imperfección (1991)
performed by New World Music Ensemble
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
1993.05.22
Subtropics 5: Residency Outreach Project Concert
Sin Ninguna Imperfección (1991)
performed by PUNTO’s Gustavo Matamoros and Armando Rodriguez, guitars
Ground Level, Miami Beach, Florida
1992.04.08
Composer’s Forum: New Music/New Composers
Sin Ninguna Imperfección (1991) world premiere
performed by pianist Myra Melford, cellist Michelle Kenney and guitarist Jeffrey Schanzer
Roulette, New York City
Exhibition Chronology
2018.11.03-12.15
Audiotheque 2.0
Sin Ninguna Imperfección ( o.1990, iv.2018 )
8-point source sound installation variation tuned to Audiotheque’s space
Individual parts performed by percussionist Jan Williams and Gustavo Matamoros on piano, recorded at SUNY Buffalo in September of 1994
Audiotheque, Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Florida
2017.07.05-09.03
Subtropics 24 Festival: LISTEN Exhibition
Sin Ninguna Imperfección ( o.1990, iv.2017 )
8-point source sound installation variation tuned to the 924 Projects space
Individual parts performed by percussionist Jan Williams and Gustavo Matamoros on piano, recorded at SUNY Buffalo in September of 1994
924 Projects Exhibition Space, Artcenter, Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Florida
2013.01.16-03.31
Subtropics 22 Festival
Sin Ninguna Imperfección ( o.1990, iv.2013 )
A 16-point source public sound art installation variation
Individual parts performed by percussionist Jan Williams and Gustavo Matamoros on piano, recorded at SUNY Buffalo in September of 1994
Listening Gallery, Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Florida