Collaborating with other artists for the first time, Xaviera Simmons blended both visual and musical art forms in her latest project.
Simmons’ “Thundersnow Road, North Carolina,” part of the Nasher Museum of Art’s newest exhibit, The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl, combines landscape photography and music. The project was commissioned by the museum nearly two years ago.
To gain inspiration for the complex installation, the Brooklyn artist explored the varying topography of North Carolina during a 10-day road trip across the state. Though much different from her roots in New York, Simmons said North Carolina soon became a second home as she delved deeper into her project.
“The state is so diverse, not only culturally but physically,” Simmons said. “I feel close to this place in a way that I never had before. I love the landscape and the mental space the area allows.”
Trevor Schoonmaker, curator of contemporary art at the Nasher, said working with Simmons was a unique and incredible experience.
“She’d been doing amazing installations with her interest in music, DJ culture and records as a sort of archive of African-American history,” Schoonmaker said. “Then we mixed in her photography experience with installation work.”
Along with the series of photographs displayed in the exhibit, visitors can listen to a record of 10 accompanying songs, each complementing a single picture or pair of images. Simmons said her Brooklyn connections helped her find talented musical artists to collaborate with her.
“I’m really fortunate to live in a community where there is so much music,” she said. “A lot of the musicians on the record are my friends and people I spend a lot of time with.”
The record features tracks by well-known artists like My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan and TV On the Radio members Kyp Malone, Tunde Adebimpe and Jaleel Bunton. Along with the quality of the photographs themselves, the prominent musical names attract attention to the exhibit as well.
Durham-based record label Merge Records produced the music for the project.
“It was such a fun surprise at the Nasher to commission a work with [Simmons] and an important indie label,” Schoonmaker said. “You want to be able to commission projects that are not just great projects, but pivotal. All of this coming together under the same umbrella is really rare.”
Creating “Thundersnow Road” and working with other artists was a “life-changing” experience, Simmons said.
“It’s really nice to constantly engage with other people and to collaborate,” she said. “It shifts the way an artist works.”
Xaviera Simmons will talk about her artistic practice today at 7 p.m. at the Nasher. The release concert for Superchunk’s Majesty Shredding will take place at 8:30 p.m. following the talk. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for museum members and $5 for Duke students through the Duke University Box Office.
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