In this video, Suzanne Bocanegra describes her collaboration with John McCleary, a mathematician and classically trained singer, on the piece Color Chart. The duo created a mathematical formula that transformed an old yarn box into a libretto for an aria that Bocanegra describes as a “static opera.” Translation and collaboration form the heart of Bocanegra’s process. Her work often transforms two-dimensional art historical source materials into three-dimensional installations. For her recent works, Bocanegra expands on her use of these sources, exploring their potential “not just as templates for another static work of art, but as a script, a musical score, or an instruction for how to move or how to behave.”

 Bocanegra’s 2010 solo exhibition, Opener 21: Suzanne Bocanegra: I Write the Songs, is part of the Tang Museum’s Opener series, which presents important bodies of work by contemporary artists through exhibitions and accompanying catalogues. CREDITS | Producer/Camera/Editor: Vickie Riley. Interview: Ian Berry. ©The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College, 2010