Jay
Afrisando

Jay Afrisando describes himself as a composer and multimedia artist but it might be more accurate to call him a multisensory artist. His works include interactive installations, music-theater, and creative filmmaking, and he entices audiences into sensory richness by simply, radically, including it. 

In different types of _______ (premiered by Zeitgeist, 2023), a sound diary blooms with tactile and visual elements. Working in consultation with Joan Harris Stephan and Gary Stephan, both Deaf listeners, and Miriam Gerberg, a Hard-of-Hearing listener, the work features objects, captions, and light. In addition, audiences are invited to handle instruments as the performance unfolds. 

Afrisando’s creativity is intentionally welcoming. He identifies as neurodivergent and applies accessibility accommodations as artistic tools. The multichannel film In Which to Trust? (debuted at Curb Appeal Gallery, 2023) features audio descriptions across multiple screens along with black and white images in motion. Five aurally diverse experiences are illuminated. Each is uniquely vivid, provoking viewers to consider which to trust when describing sound: the accounts of strangers, personal memories… or something else? 

With ardent curiosity, Afrisando consults with specialists as well as members of the public as he develops his ideas. He’s studied literature, typography, videography, sign language, and other styles of communication—all of which populate his art. The result is artwork that expands and enriches our understanding of the sensory experiences available around us. 

With Embodied Music Club (premiered at Sound Scene, 2023) Afrisando and his collaborators set a table with tactile graphic scores that include swirls, stripes, and smiley faces. There are captions composed in ink and braille. There are also audio interpretations recorded by four visually diverse listeners. Accessible to d/Deaf and blind audiences, Embodied Music Club is available to be experienced with fingertips, ears, and eyes. Audiences are encouraged to explore the variety of shapes, textures, sounds, and lived experiences that make up the “club.” 

Along with being thought-provoking, Afrisando’s artwork is often playful. In [opera captions] (premiered by thingNY, HERE Arts Center, 2023), he asks, “what if captions took center stage rather than the actors they interpret?” The work is a lighthearted inquiry into the “lives” of captions. It energizes captions beyond their typical two dimensions. 

Afrisando was born and raised in Indonesia. He credits his mom and her love of karaoke for his early introduction to the fun of music. He went on to study composition at Institut Seni Indonesia Yogyakarta and pursue music composition and disability studies at the University of Minnesota. Afrisando is currently Assistant Professor of Music, University of California, Santa Cruz. He’s actively developing work that thrives across disciplines and delights the senses. 

Text: Jocelyn Frank