The Volga-Vyatka branch of the Pushkin Museum (NCCA Nizhny Novgorod — Arsenal) presents “Happy to Be Here”, a web-based audio-visual project created by the musician Mikhail Pinyaev (Aeger Smoothie) in collaboration with Scottish video installation artist Heather Lander. The project was created as part of the Arsenal Electronic Lab and the UK-Russia Creative Bridge 2020-21 programme.
“Happy to Be Here” will premiere on 25 February, 7 pm on the Arsenal Museum website. The launch of the project will be accompanied by an artist-talk session with both participants and musicologist Ksenia Anufrieva who curated the project. To join the discussion that will take place right before the premiere, please register in advance.
The pandemic and its limitations continue to inspire contemporary artists and musicians to explore new ways of cultivating their creativity. In this project, the sound focuses on the complexity of timbre by introducing lots of synth passages, while the melody purposefully lacks distinct features. This music may well be a soundtrack behind any activity or an independent work of art — something you can listen to over and over again, each time discovering something new.
Combined with visual effects, the music communicates with the audience, conveying an important message about self-awareness and being more connected with your emotions. It encourages reflection on the meaningful and sustainable coexistence with nature, other people, and yourself.
About the creators:
Aeger Smoothie is the creative alias of Mikhail Pinyaev, a Nizhny Novgorod-based musician, and the name of his experimental audiovisual project. Aeger Smoothie explores storytelling through music by giving listeners a soundscape where they can introspect, meditate, and expand their imagination. The project has several distinctive features: its music is created on Apple devices by using found sound sources and improvisation elements. Since 2008 Aeger Smoothie has had more than ten releases together with musicians from England, Vietnam, and Russia. In 2019, Aeger Smoothie took part in the UK-Russia Year of Music, playing an improvisation session with English guitarist Leo Abrahams.
Heather Lander is a visual artist who creates immersive sonic light sculptures. In collaboration with musicians, Lander investigates how we perceive reality in a world centred around illusionistic systems. Her research and practice explore time, light and most recently, sound, with a focus on magic, the virtual and the ways technology can and does affect our interpretation of reality. Heather Lander is a recipient of the Bram Stoker Prize. In 2017, Lander became a Cryptic Artist. Cryptic is a Glasgow based internationally-renowned producing art house. She has presented her work at Glasgow International, The Hidden Door Festival, Edinburgh Art Festival, Findhorn Bay Arts Festival, Dumfries Music Conference, Sensoria Festival, and Sonica Glasgow & London.