OPTION: Matt Robidoux

Matt Robidoux presents "spiral worker." The spiral worker operates as a connector in a rhizome-like network, gathering and transferring material (corn synth, corn silk, corn husk), unlike tree-like structures that impose order. spiral worker features an expanded corn synth system (Kinetically Operated Randomness Network) built around two touch-controlled aluminum corn ears. This instrument draws from my collaboration with disability communities through Pauline Oliveros' AUMI project. The corn synth's design references the Buchla 158 synthesizer from the 1963 San Francisco Tape Music Center, creating a hybrid modular environment. Through spiral work the piece transforms this system into a sculptural, world-building experience involving multiple performers on electronics, percussion, violin, euphonium, and saxophone. All participants—performers, audience members, and conceptual frameworks—function as interconnected spiral workers within this non-hierarchy.

This performance and interview are presented in the ESS garden, and will premiere online on ESS's YouTube.

The OPTION series is curated by Andrew Clinkman, Lily Finnegan, and Dorothy Carlos.