“ZERO”: Pasaquan-Inspired Music

CRITIC’S PICK: Once again, Pasaquan, the 7-acre art compound in southwest Georgia near Buena Vista, originally created by Eddie Owens Martin (aka St. EOM), has inspired an album of imaginative musical delights. Subtitled “An interdisciplinary project under the direction of Craig Dongoski, Stuart Gerber, Neill Prewitt and Travis Dodd,” ZERO is a double-LP/CD release featuring separate but related public performances by two different groups of students from Georgia State University (GSU) and Columbus State University (CSU), the latter of which serves as the institutional caretaker of Pasaquan.

ZERO follows the 2016 release of A Circle of Atoms, which featured performances by artists and bands originally scheduled to play at Pasafest, an annual outdoor music and art celebration, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

ZERO’s music belongs in the experimental/improvisational/found sound category. Mostly quiet and contemplative, the recording consists of analog and digital sounds and vocals, performed live, in accordance with prescribed themes or frameworks and in specified sites at Pasaquan and a recital space in Atlanta. The ambient, meditative and exploratory nature of the music places ZERO in similar territory with works by contemporary composers such as Pauline Oliveros, Karlheinz Stockhausen and John Cage.

To celebrate, an open to the public party for ZERO is scheduled for Sat., Mar. 30, 5-7 p.m. It will feature a live DJ playing the album and projecting video of the performances.