Unique Art Gift to the College Combines Sculpture and Music

"Homage to Orpheus," a unique gift to Dartmouth on the occasion of its Bicentennial year, has been made by the artists, Jon Appleton, composer, and Varujan Boghosian, sculptor. Both men, nationally known for their contributions to the arts, teach on the College faculty: Jon Appleton as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of the Electronic Music Studio, and Varujan Boghosian as Professor of Art. Their joint work which incorporates assemblage and music is now on exhibition in the Jacob H. Strauss Gallery, the Hopkins Center.

Inspired by the ancient legend of Orpheus, called the inventor of music, the composer has made use of modern electronic techniques in creating the music which surrounds and heightens Boghosian's impressive work.

In describing the multi-media piece, Jon Appleton said, "The music begins softly, with the sound of bells picking up the bells on the sculpture. One of the singing voices is electronic; the second is African chanting. We wanted people first to see the sculpture, then to hear, as if coming from a distance, the music."

The visitor, like a pilgrim before a mountain shrine, must look upward to see the face of Orpheus. Varujan Boghosian, who recently was the subject of an article in Time magazine, has long been concerned in his art with the myth of this legendary figure — beloved of poets and alchemists — who followed his wife Eurydice to Hades, hoping to lead her back to life on earth. In his construction the sculptor, himself turned alchemist, uses such objects as an archaic head, weathered wood, metal and torn canvas to achieve a harmony which rivals that of music-creating a spell of mystery and tragedy.

An unprecedented collaboration, "Homage to Orpheus" began with the mutual interest Appleton and Boghosian had in the Orpheus myth long before meeting one another in Hanover. Each had admired the work of the other and shared similar approaches to their respective fields. One of Appleton's major interests is in collecting natural sounds from the environment, Boghosian's in collecting objects. Following talks in which their joint plans were developed, preliminary drawings of the sculpture were made, to serve as a basis of the music which will be available in a recording in April.

"Homage to Orpheus," completely original in plan and execution, was made possible through a College Humanities Division grant. As a Bicentennial gift it will continue on exhibition through Dartmouth's Commencement Week in June.