10 Questions with MusicXHabitatXArt

Yaoyue Huang and Scott Lowell Sherman are both classically trained pianists, having earned their Doctorates and Artist Diplomas from the College-Conservatory of Music. They have performed in Israel, Japan, China, Spain, France, Canada, the UK, and the US as soloists and as piano duo. Within the collective, Sherman and Huang focus on performative practices, interdisciplinary and experimental sound, digital, and photographic/video manipulation. Zhongjing Jiang is a visual artist, author, and curator whose primary medium is photography. Her photographs provide the material base for the collective's video and digital works. Zhongjing currently acts as a lecturer at the University of Creative Arts in the UK, pursuing her PhD in robotic arts and creative technology. All three members produce MHA's works.

musichabitatart.com | @musicxhabitatxart

ARTIST STATEMENT

MusicXHabitatXArt (MHA) is an experimental art collective founded by Yaoyue Huang, Zhongjing Jiang, and Scott Lowell Sherman, which combines music and visual art to amplify their spiritual essence, exploring the intersection of art, music, and performance. The collective believes that expressive beauty emerges from a defiance of limitations. Therefore, their creative process attempts to reclaim an innate human creativity through play and interplay. MHA roots themselves in the deep appreciation of nature, sound, and ascetic reverence, while exploring contemporary mediums and technology to approach the true nature of art. Through the joy of playful experimentation, they cultivate the transformative power of the arts.

INTERVIEW

How did the three of you come together to form MusicXHabitatXArt (MHA)? What inspired the inception of this experimental art collective?

We formed in late 2019 organically without a "true" formal plan. Our focus was to explore if our collaboration and potential ideas could reveal a path worth following. We wanted to see, and still are, if we can contribute to the conversation between art and music in a meaningful way while being mindful of balancing respect for the past and embracing the future. We acknowledge a potential clash of contemporary art and traditions in the performing arts; the big question is how to balance a healthy symbiotic relationship between music, artwork, and audiences' experience.
We began with a rapid-fire of ideas, which allowed us to develop an artistic theory organically–it was a creative formless-form; uninhibited creativity that developed precisely because of its organic beginning. Covid solidified a focus on digital & video art; this allowed us to exhibit our work, perform (albeit in a new form), and travel digitally. Those lockdowns prevented a return to concert and exhibition spaces longer than we hoped, and we were thankful to receive support despite the restrictions. 
In the post-COVID era, institutions and galleries have offered MHA's artwork as a bridge between the mystical/spiritual and natural–like the seclusion of a hermit or poet for the benefit of others. Through our hybrid art form, a new dimension emerges like sphagnum moss: nurturing microorganisms in their natural environment, reflecting this beauty into sight and sound. The artworks originally exhibited online in 2019, have been physically exhibited/performed in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Paris, L.A., Portland, Cincinnati, São Paulo, and others.
Yaoyue and Zhongjing are classmates from the Shenzhen Arts School–an institution for the study of dance, music, and visual arts for middle and high school students. Some of this school's notable alumni are Pianists Yundi Li, Haochen Zhang, and Sa Chen. Yaoyue studied and continued classical piano, and Zhongjing transferred from harp to painting. The two drifted apart and re-connected a decade later via an alumni group at the request of Yaoyue's husband, Scott. Yaoyue and Scott met in 2012, when they studied under Minsoo Sohn and were at the time studying under Soyeon Kate Lee. This is how our pathways wound themselves to one another. 

Yaoyue Huang and Scott Lowell Sherman are classically trained pianists, while Zhongjing Jiang is a visual artist, author/poet, and curator specializing in photography and robotic arts. How do your diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise contribute to the collaborative dynamic within MHA?

Despite our unique areas of study within our collective, those lines actively form our dynamic rather than simply contribute to it. Zhongjing describes this as "an interplay," allowing our dynamic to evolve and transform. Sherman and Huang's role extends far beyond performance into the digital and physical creation of all artworks across MHA's mediums. Similarly, Zhongjing's career in the visual arts equips her to work purposefully with contemporary, experimental, and classical music forms that underscore our collective theory. Her PhD in interdisciplinary art, robotic arts, and experimental applications of machine learning is initiating a new layer into our works, which will allow us to continue to experiment with new mediums and relevant contemporary thought. Most importantly, we view this collaboration as growing alongside each of our individual paths.
Our idea of playful experimentation seems to thrive on breaking free from categories and constraints, where creativity emerges from experimentation—a primordial need to create without over-intellectualizing it (while still striving to articulate it). As a result, our dynamic happily remains fluid and evolving, cultivating growth without unnecessary constraints, like tending a cottage garden or pruning a robust rose bush.

MHA aims to combine music and visual art to amplify their profound spiritual essence. Can you elaborate on how you integrate these two forms of expression in your collaborative works?

Our belief is that music and the arts have always exhibited a profound conversation with one another. When we look at composers like Debussy alongside artists like Renoir or the symbolist poets of that era, an undeniable connection becomes clear. We see a spiritual connection between the works of Caspar David Friedrich, Goethe, and composers Schumann and Beethoven, who paved the way for groundbreaking artistic expression. We see this in the avant-garde, where John Cage and the early Yoko Ono blurred the lines between music, performance, and philosophy. Contemporary artists like Tomoko Sauvage engage in a new way of viewing performance, installation, and sound production using technology, research, and refined experimentation. This is a dialogue which inspires us to be a part of.
For us, music and visual art are equally important as they both reflect observations of the world around and inside us, interpreting those observations through mediums. This principle extends beyond just music and art, and our collaborative theory emphasizes that visual art does not exist to serve music and vice versa. Instead, we believe that when combined organically, they can create a new layer of meaning. We are attempting to explore and develop this theory in a contemporary context that is cohesive rather than haphazardly combining them for effect. There is a temptation to keep music and art separate, which can be necessary, but we also see how important it is to explore new mediums to keep their conversation engaging for today's audience.

The collective emphasizes the exploration of the infinite diversity of creative expression. How do you balance artistic freedom and cohesion within your collaborative projects?

Huang puts it like this: cohesion for us primarily comes from the aesthetic of the artwork and our artistic theory, and not the form or medium that the creative expression houses itself in. Our theory imagines that freedom leads to cohesion, and cohesion leads to a fusion of our combined freedoms. In many respects, the way we view artistic freedom and cohesion is a paradox, and yet they feed off of one another in a cycle like the ouroboros eating its tail. This is what Zhongjing means by our woven triangle, that our collaborative forms as visual art and music interplay with each other simultaneously.  

What are the main themes you work on collectively as MHA? And how do your specific personal backgrounds influence the choice of themes you work with? 

In addition to the previous answers, it's worth mentioning that our name, MusicXHabitatXArt, reflects the marriage of the visual and auditory, which creates a unique habitat where abstract and figurative elements blend into a symbiotic system. When we mention the figurative, we are not portraying literal forms or figures but incorporating natural elements into our works like Zhongjing's photographs, MHA's video footage, and found objects. We attempt to capture some sense of the nature of reality with only natural forms, despite them being manipulated or abstracted throughout our processes–like the way our mind freely distorts and perceives reality. This also holds true for music, as sound can be seen as an abstraction of our most deeply felt emotions and psychological states. Our works often take on abstract forms, attempting to reflect the essence of the subjects we work with while aiming to represent both tangible and intangible elements. Our goal is to convey an interconnectedness, bridging the gap between the concrete and abstract, organic and inorganic. Above all else, our approach is guided by a reverence for the music of the composers whose works we have chosen to work with, perform, and record.

Could you discuss your creative process within MHA? Is it a collaborative process, or do you work individually on different elements? And how does each one of you contribute to the outcome?

In addition to regular remote meetings, we finally were able to reconvene in person in L.A. and Cincinnati after a long period of Covid restrictions. We discovered that our work "mode" face-to-face is different from the traditionally attention-consuming in-person "work" processes. Our ideas intertwined and flowed when we were not in serious discussion but rather on the way to have breakfast at our favorite cafe, queuing up for delicious bakery treats, basking in the sun after whispering in the library holding a John Cage and Beethoven facsimile manuscript, surrounded by mosquitoes, delighting in tapping stones together to make music riverside, hearing the vibrating stream in the forest, sipping iced lemongrass water while sitting quietly on a blanket at an old cemetery. We allow ourselves to drift, dreaming in the wanderings we embark on. We let time be consumed, dwelling in the tension of creating as well as the emptiness of a physical and intellectual routine. This is how we nurture the creation of MHA in an inspirational moment, breaking free from the logical side of experimental music and visual art from the theories and history we all know. MHA makes all decisions democratically, allowing for individual extremes but utilizing a woven triangle of three spiritually-driven artists to adapt and transform viewpoints.

Can you discuss the role of "playful experimentation" in the creative process of MHA? How does the collective approach the discovery and cultivation of the transformative power of creativity?

Playful experimentation is perhaps the root of creative expression in its natural form. "Playfulness", for us, arises out of a child-like wonder, unbound from unsentimental thought and pragmatic dogma. As Jacques Derrida articulates in Structure, Sign, and Play, his idea of playfulness underscores a vital aspect of the creative process we seek: one that transcends imposed boundaries and liberates the creative spirit. 
Our collaborative process, interplay, is rooted in the balance between flow and rest, work and the unrestrained play we attempt to nurture. A fundamental aspect of our ethic is the readiness to abandon and reconsider without hesitation and without offense. This is not a destructive force but rather a catalyst for transformation, akin to the rebirth of a phoenix emerging from its flames. We often follow our curiosity down various pathways, investing deeply before realizing when a different direction is needed–and this is done both privately and collectively. We reflect on the beauty encountered along the way and incorporate these insights as we adapt and evolve. By nurturing multiple ideas simultaneously with intensity, we enrich the final outcome, viewing detours and shifts as essential steps towards achieving a vision.
We have, as we work with one another, come to a beautiful understanding that, as a collective, there are times to steer the course and times when the wind must carry the sail. This is like when we see a garden bloom and don't rush to pluck new growth because it isn't a part of the 'master plan', and rather see what plant has begun to grow and what color the blooms might be…or if it is indeed a weed! This balance creates a healthy and respectful collaboration, which is perhaps rare among collaboratives of this nature.

In your statement, you mention how your art is "rooted in profound appreciation of nature, sound, and ascetic reverence" and how you "unrestrainedly explore contemporary mediums to approach the true nature of art." Speaking of contemporary mediums, what are you most excited about? Do you have any new medium or technique you are planning to implement? 

It is probably no surprise that robotics, robotic arts, machine learning, new music, and developing further our artistic philosophy have really excited us to redefine what our next steps are, and how to implement them thoughtfully. The discussion surrounding AI is nuanced and sensitive, which tends to overlook its potential benefits as a tool. We are interested in fully integrating our upcoming live performance projects, with Sherman composing the music specifically for the project to ensure seamless integration of the subject matter from the very beginning. With Zhongjing's research in robotic arts, who is to say we couldn't develop unique machines that are used as instruments, integrating coding or AI into sound creation, performance, or interdisciplinary practice. We are exploring these topics with the intention of making a meaningful contribution rather than merely joining the discussion. The piano and its performance, interdisciplinary applications, and engaging in communicative experiences will always remain central to our foundation.

On that note, what do you think of generative AI and its current influence on the creative sphere? Do you feel threatened by those new technologies at all? 

This is a complex issue that is evolving rapidly, which we are grateful to address briefly. We do not feel artistically 'threatened' by generative AI—it is a shame that the primary discussion surrounding AI seems to feed the "hype-cycle" rhetoric rather than discussing its potential use as a tool for the greater good. Our concerns revolve around how elitism may exploit technology using AI and steer it away from its positive impacts. AI's politicization could also hinder its advancement, potentially jeopardizing ethical considerations in the name of progress. The majority of philosophical conversations on AI at the moment tend to fall into speculation rather than concrete observation and preventative planning, partly due to the robust dynamic of development.
Returning to the creative sphere, we believe that generative AI will not diminish creative expression or the creation of art, and in fact, there is a wealth of opportunity to embrace the use of AI as a tool despite its evolution being influenced by factors beyond creative pursuits. Like many new developments in technology throughout history, AI has been met with a recognizable fear of the new and unknown. Despite that fear, our human nature directs us to seek out new avenues for expression, like the progression from war paint applied with our hands to refining the use of brushes and tools to apply ink to parchment. In the future, there will be fresh, groundbreaking tools that will receive the same intense attention, and the process will restart; it's the ouroboros again! In addition, the investigation of copyright is now a fundamental focal point for its use. But in the realm of visual art, it is important to distinguish between the criteria and rules governing AI's functionality and the innate human creativity driven by the impulse for pure expression that has existed since the Stone Age.

Lastly, looking ahead, what are your plans for the future, and how do you see your work evolving in the next few years? 

MHA will continually be an interdisciplinary art synthesis, fostering collaboration at the intersection of art, performance practice, sound, and technology. We are planning to collaborate alongside engineers from the realm of machine learning, coding, and robotics, combining the visual and auditory realms through creative technology. A new form of performances will be developed by us as we take our next steps—blending installation art, large sculpture as sonic and physical architecture, and the complete integration of musical composition and subject matter of our new works. Our plans are to continue to shape our audience's immersive experience with the visual, acoustic, auditory, and performative arts. We are dedicated to shaping a new landscape in this way, creating works of integrated interdisciplinary art for the benefit of all. 

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.