Watch Part One of Peter Silberman’s Evocative Performance Film Impermanence at the Glass House

Yesterday, Peter Silberman released the first installment in a six-part performance film titled Impermanence at the Glass House, which follows the progression of his solo debut, Impermanence, beginning with album opener “Karuna.” The “Karuna” segment, directed by Derrick Belcham and filmed in the Glass House, does credit to both Silberman’s vision and its performance space. Filmed in one sweeping shot, the video traces the curves, corners and walls of the house built by architect Philip Johnson, forcing the audience to reconstruct the house in their own minds. On display, as well, are two dancers, Rebecca Margolick and Stephanie Crousillat, whose motion interplays with the shadows. Belcham, in a statement, gave some insight into his artistic vision:

It is rare to find a project in which each element is a person, practice and aesthetic that I love completely. The sound of Peter’s performance reflecting off the surfaces and enclosures, Rebecca and Stephanie’s spatial relationship with the architecture of the Glass House, the visual reflection of the House itself, the exchange of words and chords with the bodies of the dancers augmented by Natasha Takemoto and Joy Wolcott’s perfectly-toned garments created a beautiful world to explore with the camera. These dynamic partnerships allowed for theater-level exploration as the events were captured in a single take and single shot.

Silberman’s measured performance is perfectly housed here—the microtonal nuances of his wavering falsetto were given an ideal space in which to expand. Watch the performance above, find Silberman’s tour dates below and read Paste’s recent feature on Impermanence here. You can also listen to Paste Cloud audio from Silberman’s band The Antlers.

Peter Silberman Tour Dates:

March
22 – Boston, Mass. @ Living Room show
23 – North Adams, Mass. @ Living Room show
25 – Toronto, Ontario @ Living Room show
26 – Ann Arbor, Mich. @ Living Room show
28 – Chicago, Ill. @ Living Room show
29 – Madison, Wis. @ Living Room show

April
01 – Skokie, Ill. @ Living Room show
02 – Columbus, Ohio @ Living Room show
03 – Cleveland, Ohio @ Living Room show
04 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Living Room show
05 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Living Room show
06 – Washington, D.C. @ Living Room show
08 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @The Park Church Co-Op
18 – London, United Kingdom @ St. John’s Church
19 – Leeds, United Kingdom @ Headrow House
20 – Glasgow, United Kingdom @ The Glad Cafe
21 – Dublin, Ireland @ Dublin Unitarian Church
23 – Brussels, Belgium @ Rotonde Botanique
24 – Paris, France @ Le Pop Up du Label
25 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Het Zonnehuis

May
09 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Teragram Ballroom
10 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Swedish American Hall
12 – Seattle, Wash. @ Ballard Homestead
13 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ The Fox Cabaret
14 – Portland, Ore. @ The Fremont Theater