Balikbayan Box: Conversation + Sound Workshop
Join artist Bella Kiser and her brother, soundscape composer Kenton Kiser, for an afternoon exploring Balikbayan Box, memory, family, and sound.
12–1 PM | Artist Conversation
Bella Kiser and Kenton Kiser will be in conversation with Associate Curator Meli Bandera about Balikbayan Box and the relationships between family, migration, memory, and place that shape the exhibition. Together, they will discuss the making of the project and Kenton’s soundscape, which forms an audio component of the installation.
Balikbayan Box takes its name from the large cardboard boxes used to send goods and gifts to family in the Philippines. The exhibition considers what happens when objects move between places and generations, carrying stories of family, distance, belonging, and care along with them. The conversation will also explore the role of sound in the exhibition and how it can evoke memory, create a sense of place, and connect us to people and places that may be far away.
1–2 PM | Sound Walk + Workshop with Kenton Kiser
$10 | Limited to 30 participants
Following the conversation, join soundscape composer Kenton Kiser for a hands-on sound workshop. Participants will take a five-minute sound walk in the area surrounding Krasl Art Center, recording the sounds they encounter along the way. After the walk, participants will share what they recorded and collectively map their routes and the sounds they discovered for others to explore.
Sound can be a material just like paint, fabric, or clay. By slowing down and listening closely, ordinary sounds can become a way of noticing a place, documenting a moment, or triggering a memory. This workshop offers a chance to experiment with sound as part of an art-making practice and to consider how listening can change the way we experience our surroundings.
No prior experience with sound or recording is necessary. Bring a phone or recording device if you have one.
