SENTICS 2.0: the touch of

Force & Motion Festival; Comfort Station, Chicago; Aug 2022

documentation by Ruby Que

SENTICS 2.0 is a process and a processing, an event for re/collection, de/encryption, and re/incorporation of the complex emotional scripts and memories from our digital experience. The event is facilitated by chris wood’s performance avatar, matte_screen, who demonstrates how to engage and embody the potential of our avatar’s emotions. Memories typed and submitted by the audience are live-encrypted, visualized, and projected into a virtual memorial space, and somatic engagement with elastic bands throughout the space affects the sound felt in the room and the gravity felt in the body. Comfort Station's interior becomes an imaginary AFK social media instance - generating space for digital-self-cultivation, through queer blurring of the ‘virtual’ and the ‘actual’, practiced attunement to communal processing, and a generous embrace of the integrity of the avatar.


Deepest gratitude to Courtney Mackedanz for their support in the research, development, and installation of the ongoing project of SENTICS.

matte_screen: genesis

pdf and recording; Oct 2017
performance: Martial Arts, Oakland; Nov 2017
performance: Flood House, Chicago; Jan 2018

Martial Arts 2017, pictured:
Stephanie Hewett, matte_screen, Tiff Tonel

matte_screen: faith and a sense of truth

pdf and recording; Feb 2018

Other Sensations

w/ mocrep
Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Neo-Futurarium, Chicago; January 2019

pictured (L-R): Andrew Tham, Chris Wood,
Deidre Huckabay, Lia Kohl, Alex Ellsworth

Other Sensations was created as a companion piece to Mickel Maher’s Tedium (Theater Oobleck) and premiered at the 2019 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. An exploration of both boredom and transcendence, Other Sensations mixes video, sound, choreography and animated objects to create a world which questions the reality of choice and the idea of freedom.


created, directed, and performed by Mocrep members:
Alex Ellsworth, Deidre Huckabay, Lia Kohl, Zach Moore, Andrew Tham and Chris Wood


press:
“An eerie look at the myth of the American dream” - Maggie Ward, SCAPI Magazine: Puppets, Capitalism, and Déjà Vu: A Profile of Tedium and Other Sensations

“an overall bizarre piece which I have come to love” - Kenjiro Lee, Chicago Maroon: In Chicago, Puppets Take Center Stage

Greater Minds Society

Pro Arts Gallery, Oakland; April 2018

created in collaboration with / performance by mocrep,
Greater Minds Society is a theater piece in 4 acts.


The storyline of a dystopian live-work society offering to rid affect/ emotional memory from their initiates is reinforced by experiments in collaboratively-devised movement, physical sonic situation, custom body circuits/systems, and theatrical confrontation ... in effect creating a framework through fiction to confront the trying process of living and creating in screen-based community.

THISISNOTMY/SELF

Signal Flow Festival; Mills College, Oakland; March 2017


created by chris wood, performed by and in collaboration with anastasia clarke, kim nucci, simon/a otryba, kevin schwenkler


performance (~20'); 5 performers, machine learning computer, 6ch audio, 1ch video projection

Virtual Suite No. 1 in C Major

_.world (group show); Slide Space 123, Oakland; May 2017

social structure 1:
my computer and you

Haas Gymnasium, Oakland; Dec 2016

6 hour performance-installation for performer, 4-channel audio, video, computer, conductive strips


Social Structure 1 explores how human sociality changes in two contrasting situations: computer-based introversion and direct physical connection. The performer stands alone with eyes closed, connected to their computer through an ungrounded copper strip for 6 hours. Their ungrounded bodily signal is amplified, connects with their computer, and signals an audiovisual atmosphere in the space - composed from recordings of their personal computer activities. In front of the performer is another copper strip, connected to ground the performer's signal. A Sign asks "connect with me?" asking that any spectator stands on the strip and holds the hands of the performer - thus shorting the performer's signal / computer life, provoking audial/visual silence, and creating a directly focused social interaction.

past collaborations

  • 2022
  • THE HEALTH

    performance by
    Sam Scranton

    in collaboration with
    Mocrep
  • @ The Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago
    Co-devising and developing materials for performance - Max/MSP, Adobe Creative Cloud, Choreography, Analog+digital synthesis
  • Clarinet Sustain Pedal

    audio processing pedal for
    Zachary Good
  • Design/build custom spectral processing pedal - Pure Data, Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Physical build
  • Seed

    EP by
    Lililo
  • Mixing and additional production of album by Emma Ladji.
  • Rebecoming the Animal

    dance film by
    Courtney Mackedanz

    in response to
    Hannah Levy
    ’s Surplus Tension exhibition
  • @ The Arts Club of Chicago
    Sound design and editing - Ableton Live, Max/MSP, field recording, digital+analog synthesis
  • for spacious skies

    exhibition of work by
    Kyle Bellucci Johanson
  • @ Chicago Artists Coalition
    Design, build, performance, and installation of custom digital player-piano and MIDI-controlled audio+video playback instrument, capture and installation of fixed media - Max/MSP, Adobe Creative Suite, digital projection
  • 2021
  • CHAFE THE SWALLOW BACK

    performance by
    Courtney Mackedanz
  • @ High Concept Labs, Chicago
    Designed/built Machine Vision Surveillance Simulator for choreographic development and performance visuals - Max/MSP
  • 2020
  • Itchy IOU’s

    film by
    Liang Luscombe
  • Compositions and live sound effects performed/recorded during filming; post-production sound design - Ableton Live, Max4Live, various field recordings, digital instruments and effects
  • I WANT TO KNOW

    book by
    Mocrep

    in collaboration with
    sonnenzimmer
  • @ Spiderf*rt Press
    Co-authored a book
  • 2019
  • Sex

    performance and exhibition of work by
    Anne Imhof
  • @ The Art Institute of Chicago
    Sound Engineer for performance, AV installation, lighting design, scene adjustments, collaborative design/mixing for sound installation - QLab, Mac Mini, A&H Qu24 mixer
  • I Like My Friends

    album by
    Mocrep
  • @ Parlour Tapes+
    Co-wrote, produced, mixed album - Ableton Live, various analog and digital instruments and effects
  • pre-2019
  • SPACE TO BREATHE

    exhibition of work by
    Sofie Ramos
  • @ Fort Mason Center for the Arts, San Francisco CA ; July-December 2018
    Sound design and installation of 5ch audio in artist’s sculptural installation, curated and produced performances interacting with the artist’s installation - 5ch audio playback, 3ch relay (lamp, TV, fan), Behringer XR16 mixer
  • NATACHRI

    performance in collaboration with
    Natacha Diels
  • @ CCRMA, Stanford CA ; May 2017
    @ Pro Arts Gallery, Oakland CA ; May 2017
    Collaboratively devised performance work, Max/MSP/openGL

disco crystall

[di-sko kri-staal]
disco/boogie/house vinyl dj

  • you're invited to:
  • LIQUID CRYSTAL DISCO PARTY @ sleeping village, chicago
  • monthly vinyl-DJ dance party thrown by Disco Crystall
    posters designed by `Unyimeabasi Udoh ^Leah Wendzinski *myself
    • 09.30.22 - Sorrbet, Nunya
    • 08.2022 - Ali Najdi, Katherine Hepburn
    • 07.2022 - Raven Wright
    • 04.2022 - DJ Zzzosma
    • 02.2022 - DJ Tess
  • selected past parties and one-off-sets:
  • Feets Don’t Fail @ sleeping village, chicago ; 12.2018-8.2019
  • monthly vinyl-DJ dance party thrown by Title TK (DJ crew including Disco Crystall)
    • 07.2019 - Resavoir (album release)
    • 06.2019 - Kuh Lida
    • 03.2019 - Haiku Hands
    • 02.2019 - Kyle Hall and Jay Daniel
    • 01.2019 - Sasha No Disco
  • Vans Channel 66@ vans.com; 03-08.2020
  • monthly 2-hr streamed set with Title TK
  • Disco Crystall @ the wistler, chicago ; 09.2019-01.2020
  • monthly resident set with special guests
  • Pitchfork Music Festival Aftershow @ sleeping village, chicago - 07.2019
  • w/ Khruangbin (DJ Set), Title TK
  • Pitchfork Music Festival After-Aftershow @ smartbar, chicago - 07.2019
  • w/ Title TK, Sasha No Disco
  • SXSW2019 Ad Hoc Showcase @ cheer up charlies - 03.2019
  • w/ Title TK
  • SXSW2019 Mohawk Outdoor Showcase @ mohawk, austin ; 03.2019
  • w/ Title TK

chris wood is a multimedia artist and technician based in Chicago. they make performances and installations exploring the physical/emotional properties of sound and signifiers as media for communal processing. they create social experiments and performative events, bringing to-question our screen-based reality in an effort to embrace, embody, and attune emotional complexities with ourselves and each other.

also a collaborative engineer, they design+build+integrate+perform interactive new media systems for performance and installation, as well as create+edit sound+video for fixed media productions.

they hold an MFA from Mills College CCM, and are also:
- the head of AV in Exhibitions at The Art Institute of Chicago
- a DJ under the moniker of Disco Crystall
- a member of the anti-disciplinary artist collective Mocrep