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Gather: Meg Leary // »radiant devices«

Meg Leary (b. 1978) is a Chicago-based performance, sound and visual artist. She began her career as an opera singer, which has since become the foundation for the visual and performative works she creates. She explores the human voice and its absence through performances, videos, sculptures and sound compositions bringing a theatrical or performative lens to visual media. 

Leary has an MA degree in Performance Studies from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA degree in Studio Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She received her BA from Smith College and vocal training at The Boston Conservatory. Her work has been shown at a variety of venues including Tempus Projects, Chicago Art Department, Constellation, Chicago Artists Coalition, Gallery 400, EXPO Chicago, ACRE Gallery, SOHO House, Chicago Artists Coalition, Subterranean, The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, NADA, Elastic Arts, The Hideout, The Whistler, Mana Contemporary, Kendall College of Art & Design, Peanut Gallery, Links Hall, Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics, and more. Leary has participated in several residencies including the HATCH program at the Chicago Artists Coalition and the High Concept Laboratories Sponsored Artist Program. 

»radiant devices«is a Chicago-based duo crafting a sound that draws upon noise rock, downtempo electronic and industrial aesthetics. Intentional yet idiosyncratic the band has been praised for its eclecticism and originality on tape and on stage. The group was founded by Fyodor Sakhnovski and Mojdeh. Fyodor is a guitarist, percussionist, and audio producer. Mojdeh is an interdisciplinary artist, musician, award winning and internationally touring poet, educator and advocate for survivors of trauma. Her writing focuses on topics related to trauma, race, family and religion. The band has performed with notable acts like Psychic TV, Saul Williams, Pere Ubu, Man or Astro-Man?, Mr. Gnome, and Sorne.

Their second release "unheeded" (out now:http://smarturl.it/unheeded) is a poetic examination of the experience and effects of racism, trauma, silence, fear and grief. Haunting female vocals scale over angular, post-punk guitar riffing, the pounding of metal percussion and the melancholy drone of downtempo synths.

Gather is an experimental music series bringing musicians from different scenes, backgrounds, practices, disciplines, and communities together for connection and artistic exchange. We curate this series with our attention toward introducing musicians who may not otherwise cross paths and whose works dialogue in compelling ways. By doing so, we hope to leave potential for collaboration and familiarity amongst different experimental music forms in Chicago. Gather is curated by Allen Moore, Nick Meryhew, and Rebecca Himelstein