Spectralina

Visual artist Selina Trepp and musician Dan Bitney, collaborating as Spectralina, interlaced music inspired by Chicago’s rich musical history with hand-drawn animations of images of woven patterns found in the culturally diverse neighborhoods of Chicago for their ART on THE MART projection Woven.

The shapes within these patterns transformed and reconstituted themselves in response to the music, morphing from one pattern into the next in dynamic, unexpected and joyful ways. In the creation of their music for this projection, Spectralina weaved sounds and genres from the city’s musical history in homage to the beauty and creativity cultivated in Chicago. The audio included a mix of digital tracks and acoustic studio recordings with musical collaborators Jaimie Branch, John Herndon, Jeff Parker, Norman W. Long, and Dustin Laurenzi.

Dan Bitney is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer, best known as an experimental musician working with jazz, electronic, rock, and improvised music groups. He has released many records, composed music for films and art installations, and has performed in concerts across the world. He has been a member of Tortoise since 1994, was a founding member of Isotope 217 in the early 1990s, and has been performing as one-half of Spectralina since 2001.

Selina Trepp works across media, combining performance, installation, painting, and sculpture to create intricate setups that result in photos, drawings, furniture, and animations. She is also active in the experimental music scene. Trepp's work has been widely exhibited internationally and has received numerous awards and honors including The Swiss Art Award as well as an Illinois Arts Council Grant.