COLLABORAting WITH DR. MICHAEL UDOW
COMPOSER, PERCUSSIONIST, PROFESSOR OF PERCUSSION
1978
“Rita was working on the sculpture, “My Friend,” (1978) and contacted me as she envisioned this work as a sound sculpture playable by visitors. I described the kinetic sound sculptures of Harry Bertoia; we discussed the possibility that other component parts of the sculpture might also produce interesting sounds when struck. Rita and her team fabricated the addition of rods that could be struck or plucked. Rita considers “My Friend” as her first collaborative exploration with another artist; I was pleased to be a small part of that interaction.”
My Friend
1978, aluminum, 82x58x.5 in
Dancing Fir Tree
1972, watercolor on paper, 12x16 in
1983
Udow composed the music for the film: “dancing hands: Visual Arts of Rita Blitt." Blitt’s yearning to encourage everyone to let their hands dance on paper led to the making of this film. It includes 20 years of Blitt’s creative practice, resulting in spontaneous drawings, paintings and monumental sculpture.
“Let your hands dance on paper, feel the music as you dance with one hand or two (on any paper or a dry-erase board) and let the lines come from deep within you.”
2001
Blitt painted a series of works inspired by Dr. Udow's album, "Over the Moon." Several of her paintings were featured in the booklet within the album.
2013
Dr. Udow proposed a collaborative film idea to Rita, which she enthusiastically embraced. Udow would send photographic images taken in the United States and China of what he found to be interesting rock outcroppings and old growth trees. Rita, in turn, would respond by selecting existing work from her portfolio and/or creating new works with the idea that any of my photographs could be, but not necessarily used in some juxtaposed way. Udow would then compose music for the film. The result is a 25-minute film, Abyss of Time. The film score, recorded in Beijing, is composed for a chamber orchestra of Chinese musical instruments and six percussionists.
Udow photograph and Blitt art combined in the film Abyss of Time.
“Abyss of Time is an astonishingly beautiful integration of painting and music. Watching it is an experience akin to drifting through MOMA on a cloud of mesmerizing music. At times, the paintings seem to be the musicians, and at other times the music seems to be painting. It is a technically perfect documentary that demonstrates how intimately connected are our aural and visual senses.”