Calder's Noise: A Cirque Listening Session
Fri, Mar 6, 2026
7 pm
André Kertész, Calder with Cirque Calder (1926–31), 1929. Artwork © 2026 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph © Ministère de la Culture / Médiathèque du Patrimoine, Dist. RMN–Grand Palais / André Kertész, courtesy the Estate of André Kertész. Photograph courtesy Calder Foundation, New York / Art Resource, New York
Tickets
This event is free. Registration is required. Capacity is limited; visitors are encouraged to register in advance.
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The Susan and John Hess Family Theater is equipped with an induction loop and infrared assistive listening system. Accessible seating is available.
Real-time captioning (CART) will be provided during this event.
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Floor 3, Theater
To celebrate the final days of High Wire: Calder's Circus at 100, join us for a rare opportunity to explore the sonic dimension of Calder's Circus.
Composer and musician Gryphon Rue and composer and archivist Michael Mandeville share the music of Calder's Circus in this unique listening session. Using a gramophone much like the one that Alexander Calder deployed in the 1920s and 30s, they will play selections from Calder's record collection, which ranges from classic marches and waltzes to so-called exotica and popular jazz tunes from the day. They will also discuss the under-known yet critical role that sound and music played in Calder's performances of the Circus. Influenced by his relationship with the international avant-garde as well as attuned to the specificity of place and milieu, Calder's approach to acoustics in the Circus reveal new aspects of his artistic practice that continued throughout his life.
Speakers
Michael Mandeville is an archivist and researcher at the Calder Foundation in New York City. He is also a musician and composer.
Gryphon Rue is an artist, composer, and musician. His approach weaves electronic and acoustic instrumentation with field recordings drawn from nature and obscure corners of the internet.
