Arctic Rhythms
Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky

Experience the polar regions as never before through the eclectic artistry of composer, author, musician, and 2014 National Geographic Emerging Explorer Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky. Revered in the hip-hop world as a master turntablist, Miller is a sonic artist who hears music in almost everything—from visual forms and economic theory to the great outdoors. In 2007 and 2008, Miller undertook two expeditions to Antarctica to shoot a film and create an acoustic portrait of the rapidly changing continent. That led to his celebrated 2011 publication The Book of Ice and his 2013 album Of Water and Ice. Sponsored by the Sierra Club, Miller traveled to the Arctic Circle in 2014 and came away with the inspiration for another volume of music, Arctic Rhythms. Accompanied at Eisenhower Auditorium by a Penn State School of Music graduate student string quartet (violinists Gabriella Stout and Michael Divino, violist John Roxburgh, and cellist Liu Pai), Miller creates an evocative multimedia trip through the Arctic landscape. He juxtaposes images with live and recorded hip-hop, electronic, and minimalist music to create a unique experience. Miller has previously collaborated with an array of musicians, including Metallica, Chuck D, Steve Reich, and Yoko Ono. MIT Press published his award-winning book Rhythm Science in 2004. The Village Voice, The Source, and Artforum have featured his writing, and he’s the editor of Origin Magazine. His work has appeared in the Whitney Biennial, the Venice Biennial for Architecture, Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol Museum, and other museums and galleries throughout the world.