When Harry met Christopher: Some time after the An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music or better known as the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Christopher was notified by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, that they wanted their instruments that they had loaned him back. In the time that Christopher Tree had them, the museum had misplaced the inventory list, so they wanted him to provide them with an inventory. Can you imagine! Christopher said he was very tempted to leave a few things out, including the Burma Gong that he really enjoyed playing. But after a few moments of thought, everything from the museum of art was inventoried and returned. Because he had acquired a fondness for that Burmese keezee, who should step forward? One Harry Bertoia. At this point in time, Harry was quite famous as a designer for the furniture manufacturing firm Knoll Brothers. But Harry was also experimenting with sound, which he called Sonambient and Sonambient sculptures he made from bronze. Harry had heard of Christopher, and invited him out to his studio near Hereford, Pennsylvania. So Christopher traveled out to Harrys studio and introduced Christopher to his Sonambinet work, and told him that he would put together some pieces that resembled the Burmese keezee. Christopher said he really enjoyed his time with Harry, and found him to be a very interesting and warm fellow. But lets backstep for a moment. Why did the Santa Barbara Museum of Art support Christopher Trees work? Children and the mentally challenged. After Christopher received his first Gong on a dark evening in Big Sur, he made the Gong part of his Light Shows, and he started to collect more through the music store on Santa Monica Blvd. in Los Angeles. So Gongs became a big part of his Light Shows, and during the day, he would take the Gongs to schools or mental hospitals. Christopher told me he performed over 2000 shows in his lifetime, with 75% of them for children and the mentally ill. When he did his concerts, it would take 10 hours to set up, and 6 hours to tear down. So 2000 shows is 4000 set up and break downs! So the Santa Barbara Museum of Art supported his work with children, and lent him some of their Gongs and other instruments. NEXT: CHRISTOPHERS 23 YEARS IN EUROPE.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 13:20:27 +0000
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