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Quiet Comfort: Hali Palombo

Hali Palombo is a radio host, composer, visual artist and filmmaker from Chicago, Illinois. Born in Northfield, Minnesota, she has had a natural curiosity about the Midwestern United States since a young age. Her work often weaves the absurdity and mundane beauty of Illinois into her records, short films, drawings and paintings. 

Palombo is an avid practitioner of “plunderphonics”: sampling existing musical/aural works and intertwining them into something brand new, whether it’s shortwave radio and CB radio samples, wax cylinder audio, and field recordings taken from Midwestern points of interest. She also draws great inspiration from endless adventures throughout the country - be them on Google Maps or in her car - often photographing, filming or drawing her findings. 


Palombo began making work at age 26, and despite getting somewhat of a late start for an artist, she has amassed a lush body of varied and careful work.


Her influences include Philip Glass, Flannery o’connor, jorge luis borges, and FermiLab National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, IL (she would like her ashes scattered there someday, hopefully not anytime soon).