As they continue their ongoing creation of Mind on Heaven, a portrait/tribute to the late Dennis Palmer, NYC-based sound designer Ben Williams and Chicago-based filmmaker Brian Cagle will share the work they are creating while in residence in the Gray Center Lab March 17-21, 2014.  

RSVP appreciated - Mike Schuh, Gray Center Program Coordinator

About Mind on Heaven

Mind on Heaven, created by NYC-based sound designer Ben Williams and Chicago-based filmmaker Brian Cagle, is a portrait/tribute to the late Dennis Palmer - a musician, performer, and painter in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and a close friend of the artists. Collaborators Cagle and Williams create a series of live video and live audio mixes of free-associative materials to conjure their old friend’s spirit and explore his art, music, and life.

About Dennis Palmer

In 1986, Dennis and his longtime friend Bob Stagner founded the legendary duo THE SHAKING RAY LEVIS, who collaborated with artists around the world such as Derek Bailey, John Zorn, Rev. Howard Finster, Col. Bruce Hampton, Ladonna Smith, and butoh dancer Min Tanaka. They also created THE SHAKING RAY LEVI SOCIETY, a 501c3 non profit organization dedicated to the promotion of free-improvisation throughout the region. The SRL Society is a volunteer-run organization dedicated to challenging audiences with extraordinary music, film, and performance art, and is responsible for bringing hundreds of diverse and celebrated artists to Tennessee and the Southeast.  More info about The Shaking Rays here.

Dennis was also widely known for his paintings and visual art: video from his gallery show at Tanner-Hill Gallery, Chattanooga, TN.

Timeline of Development

March 25-28, 2013: Cagle and Williams work separately in Chicago and New York on video and audio design -- collecting, formatting, and editing source materials.

March 30-31, 2013: Cagle and Williams work in Chattanooga. They meet with Bob Stagner to collect and digitize archival footage from the Shaking Rays and from other projects by Free Rock City Productions.

Work-in-progress performance at Barking Legs Theater, with video edit; run-time: 20 minutes.

August 8-10, 2013: Cagle meets with Stagner again in Chattanooga, collecting and formatting more source material.

November 23, 2013: Performance at Catch Series, Invisible Dog performance space in Brooklyn, NY.

January 2014: 20min showing at Catch Series, NYC

March 17-21, 2014: Gray Center Lab residency, University of Chicago