White Rush.

2018. 30′

Concept by Laine Rettmer
Book by Laine Rettmer
Music by John Aylward
Premiere: AREA Gallery. Boston, MA. David Guerra, gallerist

I worked with artist / director Laine Rettmer on White Rush, a thirty-minute performance art piece. The work is about a surreal meeting between Leda (from the myth Leda and the Swan) and Kurt Cobain. As they meet and sing together, they come to terms with issues surrounding how cultural mythologies propagate negative stereotypes around sexual assault and normalize it.

Leda was played by Aliana de la Guardia. I composed the score for electronics and electric guitar. The performance was part of a full multimedia installation by Laine Rettmer also called White Rush at AREA Gallery in Boston.

Performance of White Rush by Laine Rettmer and composer John Aylward at AREA Gallery Boston, featuring Aliana de la Guardia as Leda in a surreal operetta exploring myth, culture, and the narratives surrounding sexual assault.
Dark storm clouds with sunlight breaking through setting tone and offering inspiration for John Aylward's musical soundscapes.
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Dark storm clouds with sunlight breaking through setting tone and offering inspiration for John Aylward's musical soundscapes.
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