program note
The Forest of Metal Objects is a site specific collaborative work featuring musicians and performers who lead us through the halls of The Cloisters, culminating in the central garden (Cuxa Cloister). The percussive score features a room full of mounted cymbals and specially tuned sheets of aluminum alongside vibraphones and gongs. The Forest of Metal Objects combines ritualized, everyday movements with banners, costumes and scrolls bearing the text-based art of Todd Colby. As the audience moves through The Cloisters’ artifacts, sculptures and tapestries, the unique, beloved architecture echoes with the music of Gordon’s roving metallic-orchestra score. The Met Cloisters is transformed like never before, with movement and direction by Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar, costumes by Liv Rigdon, and featuring the University of Michigan Percussion Ensemble led by Doug Perkins.