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Below the Surface is the immersive multimedia collaboration between visual artist Farida Hughes and percussionist Matt Keown, a synthesis of Hughes’s luminous abstract art and Keown’s intricate percussion compositions. Together the artists construct a dialogue that celebrates the primal forces of nature—creative volcanic activity, the flow of water, the resilience of the earth—as metaphors for the unknowable power of human creativity and connection. The most recent performance of Below the Surface was at the Hirshhorn Museum for Sound Scene Fest 2025.

Farida’s artwork Below the Surface is an inter-disciplinary piece combining works on paper backlit with an engineered light performance. Perforated pages are layered with hand-dyed and hand-painted papers and illuminated via LED lights. The choreographed light-box program is performed in tandem with the Below the Surface solo percussion score. Inquire to schedule a performance or request to see Farida’s light-box artwork.

The project is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org).

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