Sounding untitled for the Self-guided Listener, scored by David Dove, is a four-hour performance by nine musicians that will take place in the six U-shaped buildings of Dan Flavin’s untitled (Marfa project) (1996). Inspired by the unique acoustical qualities of the Flavin installation, Dove spent a week over the course of the summer, sounding out the space, and composing the score. He says of the piece that will be performed one time only, over Chinati Weekend: “Just as Flavin’s colored fluorescent lights enhance one’s sense of the spaces in which they are housed, the score is intended to enhance the sense of those spaces through sound.” The title pays a puckish nod to the outdoor Self-Guided Walking Tours at Chinati and Flavin’s own predilection to title his art “untitled.”

The public is invited to arrive at any point during the 4-hour performance and guide themselves through the six buildings at their own pace. While Dove encourages visitors to take their time—to go back to a space and hear something new—he also suggests that individuals compose their experience by starting with first building and concluding with the sixth.

The performance will take place within the Flavin installation at Chinati during Open House hours: Saturday, October 9, from 10am – 2pm

MUSICIANS

David Dove (Houston) – trombone
Rolando Cantu (Mexico City) – oboe, English horn
Laura Dykes (Houston) – double bass
Carmina Escobar (Mexico City/Los Angeles) – voice
Juan Garcia (Mexico City) – double bass
John Alan Kennedy (Houston) – percussion
Gabriel Martinez (Houston) – percussion
Bhob Rainey (Philadelphia) – soprano saxophone
Liz Tonne (Shutesbury, MA) – voice

David Dove (born 1971, Long Beach, lives Houston) is an improvisational musician, composer, and trombonist. Among his most recent recordings is A Eyes Always On You with Jawaad Taylor. In 2001, Dove founded Nameless Sound to present and educate through contemporary music. The organization and its artists work directly with young people in public schools, community centers, and homeless shelters to promote creativity, diversity, and improvisation. 20 Years of Sound is a new publication project on the Nameless Sound website, featuring profiles of affiliated musicians—such as Joe McPhee, Maggie Nicols, Alvin Fielder, and Pauline Oliveros—along with an archival deep dive into the theme of The Aural and the Visual.

David Dove would like to thank Fieldwork Marfa for hosting musicians in Marfa.

Produced by JD DiFabbio