Born in Peru, Maria Chávez is an abstract turntablist, sound artist, and DJ. She was a research fellow for the Sound Practice Research Department at Goldsmith’s University of London. She presents workshops and lectures for major universities and institutions worldwide. Chavez was awarded the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble commission in 2015 to present a new sound piece at the Brooklyn Museum & Morgan Library and a New Works commission from the Jerome Foundation. In 2015, her sound installations and sculptures were exhibited at BRIC Arts Media in Brooklyn, MoMA PS1 Printshop, Present Company, Brooklyn and CONTEXT Art Miami at the Sound Positions Pavilion in conjunction with Art Basel, Miami.
Influenced by chance & improvisation in contemporary art, Chavez collaborated with Christian Marclay and the Whitney Museum of American Art, performed alongside Pauline Oliveros, Thurston Moore, Phill Niblock and worked with Merce Cunningham.
The Rain of Applause is a multi-channel sound installation containing the audio of continuous applause, recorded from live events in theaters and performance spaces. The sound of applause creates an auditory illusion. As the perception of the listener shifts, the recordings of applause could sound as a rainstorm. The artist created a sonic map of the city composing a sound piece The Rain of Applause: St. Petersburg that contained live recordings of applause from various local venues. Presented as a 12 channel speaker installation, the exhibition was accompanied by an artist talk, workshop and a sound performance.
