Following his recent Gamelan Wizard performances at this years MOFO festival in Tasmania, Lucas Abela returns to the suburb of his youth to present his interactive mash-up installation Mix Tape at The Walls in Miami. MIx Tape is an installation/instrument hybrid that goes beyond mere interaction, instead requiring focused engagement and challenging the audience beyond the ‘do this and that happens’ passive experiences so common in interactive art.
A graduate of Miami State High School, Abela is an experimental musician and installation artist whose practice evolved within the international noise music underground. Initially classed as a turntablist, his work has rarely resembled anything in the field. Early feats saw him stab vinyl with Kruger-style stylus gloves, bound on electro-acoustic trampolines, drag race the Pope across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, perform deaf-defying duet duels with amplified samurai swords, hospitalized by high powered turntables constructed from sewing machine motors and record chance Peel sessions with the Flaming Lips.
Over the years, as these turntable roots became increasingly distant as Abela’s practice evolved in multiple directions. He gained widespread notoriety for his provocative live performances employing various vocal techniques ranging from throat singing to raspberries, and the creative but controversial use of discarded shards of glass. These performances have now engaged and bemused countless spectators in over 45 countries around the world. Abela will be performing as Granpa on opening night, covered footwear is advised.
Exhibition Opening: Saturday 21 February 5-8pm
Granpa performance: 7:00pm
