ensemble vim presents spark, a new music and art festival borne from ensemble vim’s mission to “Ignite the spark - unite the arts.”
spark believes that uniting music with other disciplines to foster innovation, creativity, and collaboration. spark elevates the arts both in the Southeast and nationally. This program pairs composers with artists, rotating between the fields of visual art, dance, and spoken word. Throughout the course of the year, these teams will be given resources to collaborate on an interdisciplinary work, culminating in sparkweek, where they will gather in Atlanta to rehearse with ensemble vim and put the finishing touches on their projects. The program culminates in a grand showcase performance of all the works.
In its inaugural year (‘24-25), the festival partnered with the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA) to pair three composer fellows from across the country with three Atlanta-based visual artists.
Interview with the Vimmen (Choo Choo Hu, Laura Usiskin, Emily Koh and Nicole Frankel) on spark 24/25!
spark 24/25 Artists, Composers and Works
Kelly Taylor Mitchell
Kelly Taylor Mitchell is an artist and educator who lives and works in Atlanta, GA where she is currently a 2023-2024 Midtown Alliance Artist-in-Residence, Arts & Social Justice Fellow at Emory University, a BIPOC Lyndon House Arts Foundation Fellow, and an Assistant Professor of Art and Visual Culture at Spelman College.
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Chelsea Loew
Chelsea Loew is a composer/performer whose interests are rooted in emotion, humanity, and nature. Her works often explore the relationships between language, communication, and expression. Chelsea is a founding member of the tech-focused experimental group Ensemble Decipher.
A Homegoing (2025)
i. a welcome warning
ii. nature witnessed
iii. the road to reflection
iv. the brackish heart
by
Kelly Taylor Mitchell (art)
Chelsea Loew (Music)
for flute, violin, cello, piano and electronics
Handmade paper: overbeaten flax, Great Dismal Swamp bald cypress and milkweed fibers for blowouts, base sheets and pulp painting. Tassels, passed down textiles, image transfers and raffia inclusions. Found bricks and swamp water
Alan Caomin Xie
Originally from China, by employing a diverse range of artistic styles, artist and educator Alan Caomin Xie poignantly conveys the emotional disconnection, loneliness, and spiritual awakening rooted in Buddhist philosophy experienced by contemporary individuals.
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ofir klemperer
Ofir Klemperer is a sound-based artist, composer, improviser, and songwriter. Klemperer aims for complex and uncharted territories of sound production through casual performance in the form of live folk/rock/jazz/classical concerts, and DIY musical gatherings.
Destination-Terminus (2025)
by
Ofir Klemperer (music)
for flute, violin, cello, piano and electronics
Five Improvisa (2025)
by
Alan Caomin Xie (artist)
Video Art (created in conjunction with Alessandro Imperato, new media artist)
Martha Whittington
Martha Whittington is a sculptor whose practice examines the convergence of form, function, and memory by transforming materials using traditional methods. Her work reshapes a range of materials into thought-provoking installations that challenge notions of utility and labor narratives.
June Young (Will) Kim
June Young (Will) Kim has lived in Canada, United States and Germany. He received his Bachelors from IU Bloomington, and with the DAAD scholarship, he received his Masters from HMT München, studying with Isabel Mundry. His music is published by Edizioni Suvini Zerboni and has been performed by renowned ensembles.
Babel (2025)
by
Martha Whittington (art)
Will Kim (Music)
for flute, violin, cello and piano
Cherry wood and cotton canvas