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Williams-Brusubardis Studio and Gallery
“The Bard of Beverina”
Ted Brusubardis
Multi-Media Image Mapping and Music
Location: “Nitelight”, a Joy Engine Event at The Kunzelmann-Esser Lofts Building on Mitchell Street, Milwaukee, WI, September 8-9, 2023
“The Bard of Beverina” is a multi-media image mapping piece showing the cultural traditions of an immigrant family being passed down through the generations. The overall meaning behind the artwork is to think about how music can be used as a coping mechanism for a collective tragedy. The piece opens with sheet music written by my grandfather, Ernests Brusubardis I, while living in a displaced persons camp following WW2. In the lower half, you see my father, Ernests Brusubardis II, and my brother, Ernests Brusubardis III, conducting on opposite sides. My son, Aidan, is in the middle, accompanying on the piano. The title is a translation from the Latvian choral piece, “Beverīnas Dziedonis”, written by Latvian composer Jāzeps Vītols, based on a folk poem written by the poet, Auseklis. The poem is a story about an old bard who saves the Beverīna Castle from invading armies by using the power of music and his traditional kokle (a Latvian harp-like instrument) to disarm the enemy. The choral music is being performed by the Brusubardis choir, which was started 95 years ago in Riga, Latvia and still exists today, here in Milwaukee.
“Lietus in 3 Movements: A Musical Conversation Between Generations”
Ted Brusubardis
4-Channel Synchronized Video with Sound Recorded at The Milwaukee Art Museum. First exhibited at a “Temporary Resurfacing” event on 10th & Mitchell, Milwaukee, WI on May 17, 2019
“Lietus in 3 Movements: A Musical Conversation Between Generations” is a 4-channel synchronized video and sound installation showing the relationship between student and master.
This piece features my father, Ernest Brusubardis II and my son, Aidan Brusubardis. Aidan started studying piano with his grandfather when he was about nine years old. He wrote his first piano composition titled, “Lietus”, when he was 12. “Lietus” is the Latvian word for “rain”. This piece is an homage to the relationship between the master and the student. In this case, the grandfather and the grandson, much like an old family story passed down through the generations. The first movement of the soundtrack is Aidan performing “Lietus” on the piano. The second movement is the improvised response by his grandfather. The third movement is the merging of the two.
All three movements are shown when exhibited at full scale. But, for the purpose of this documentation, I’m only showing the third movement.