New York based Fan Letters, an audiovisual duo collaboration between composer Dylan Neely and video artist Alex Nathanson – has played in museums, concert halls and alternative spaces throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. Their work combines sound, video, and handmade electronic instruments into playful and thought-provoking interactive multimedia performances. Shows oscillate between noise and chamber music, from experimental cinema to Saturday morning cartoons, and political negotiations to schoolyard games. Their work has been described as “that secret alchemical intersection between music performance, video games, good art, digital animation, multiple screens, and tech” (Ben Seretan), “remarkable” (Big Red & Shiny), and “difficult to describe” (Portland Press Herald).
Recent performances of their work have occurred at the Museum of the Moving Image, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Silent Barn, and La MaMa; their work has been presented by MATA Interval, Fung Wah Biennial and Queens New Music Festival, and supported by the Foundation for Contemporary Arts and Flux Factory.
Fan Letters will utilize their residency at The Watermill Center to develop their opera Autocomplete. In preparation for a festival premiere, Nathanson will delve into the at-scale realization of the scenic design’s video element, which involves projection mapping and audiovisual interaction. Neely will be finalizing the work’s score, written for a chamber ensemble and live electronics.