Paradise is an Architectural Term
– Craig Dykers of Snøhetta, on his visit to see A Paradise Choir

A Paradise Choir is a set of 200 synthetic robes and hand painted stoles. The robes are jointly worn by performers, including the general public in a series of open workshops, drop-in concerts, and guided architectural tours. These activities point to the body, the building and their relationship through radical inclusion in the act of visceral sound making. The word Paradise is rooted from “paridayda,” an old Persian term for a walled space, often a walled garden. These first gardens were hunting enclosures, orchards, and medicinal plants. The Persians prove that paradise is architectural. With this in mind, A Paradise Choir explores the relationship of music, the body, and the building.

A Paradise Choir was first exhibited over four weekends at a newly reopened San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The first three weekends were divided into functions, while the final weekend launched all of the performances in tandem.

A Paradise Choir from Chris Kallmyer on Vimeo.

A Choir of Singers
A Paradise Choir invites amateur choirs to participate in a museum-sized project. The piece features a diversity of vernacular genres that may never meet on a daily basis. A gospel choir, a hospice choir, primal scream therapy, and a south Indian singer can all take part in a choir of singers.

A Choir of Listeners
The piece is meant to make a public performance out of listening, which is typically seen as a passive and solitary act. The piece explores the communal nature of presence through the creation of temporary self-directed choirs. One might encounter a group of robed patrons listening together, drinking coffee, or looking at a painting. These tableau dot the museum to make a performance out of everyday acts.

A Choir of Bells
Bells are a democratic tool accessible to any potential performer, and through their resonance we can see a new dimension to architectural space. Their tuning system is rooted in Pythagoras’ system of Just Intonation that uses rational intervals based on pure ratios. Pythagoras was an early utopian, envisioning a paradise on earth where all citizens would be hybrid mathematician-musicians.

*Full project portfolio available upon request.