2018
169 Bowery, NYC
Dorit Chrysler
Calder Plays Theremin
March 9 – 23, 2022

Fridman Gallery is pleased to present Calder Plays Theremin, a video installation featuring the multi-movement orchestra for the theremin composed by Dorit Chrysler, a Berlin-based composer and sound artist. Commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art to make a sound piece in conjunction with the exhibition Alexander Calder: Modern from the Start, Chrysler identified two of Calder's sculptures, Snow Flurry, I (1948) and Man-Eater with Pennants (1945), to interact with and "play" the theremin. The film is assembled from the sounds and images Chrysler recorded, along with MoMA conservators and handlers, of the sculptures interacting with her instruments. Read more about Chrysler and the composition here.
Calder Plays Theremin
Written for Theremin Orchestra in Four Movements, by Dorit Chrysler
First Movement: “Embrace”
Second Movement: “Fractals”
Third Movement: “Brute”
Fourth Movement: “Mesmerism”
Film Direction: Michael Tyburski
Dorit Chrysler is a Berlin-based composer and sound artist, as well as co-founder of the NY Theremin Society. Her work explores the application of the theremin instrument in various mediums. She earned her Master's Degree in Musicology in Vienna and has performed her compositions worldwide. She has been commissioned work by the MoMA, the Venice Biennale and her compositions are represented in permanent collections such as the Guggenheim Museum and Moderne Museet Stockholm. Collaborations and residencies include the San Fransisco Symphony, Cern, Pioneerworks and the Gaite Lyrique. Dorit has written music for film and theater and produced a ten piece orchestra performance for the LA DisneyHall. Numerous recordings have been released on Bandcamp, InMyRoomRecords (DE), The Prurience Factory (US), Monika Enterprise (DE), PlagDichNicht (AU), PlasticTray Records (US), and Mute.
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With kind permission of the MoMA and the Calder Foundation NY/Artists Rights Society(ARS) New York