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COMPARING NOTES:

some have given up the expectation of meeting genuine, “heartfelt” people and prefer to retire to a mute world, where fish, at least, give a feeling of recognition. in the wake of the unbearable sterile daily noise, their life has turned into a fluid universe of silence, dream, and stillness and their compass has come to be a space beyond fear, deception, and betrayal. fish never disappoint.— erik pevernagie

MISSION

SUBTROPICS [ a.k.a. South Florida Composers Alliance ] is a nonprofit organization dedicated to experimental music, sound art and intermedia since 1985. It supports the creation, public presentation, documentation, discussion and publication of work by artists in connection with our programs

SERVICES

Interdisciplinary SOUND ARTS WORKSHOP [ iSAW ] began in 1995 and is a Subtropics project that organizes ARTIST RESIDENCIES for the creation of new work, and in partnership with Art-Sci-Audio and other entities such as Spectacular Media, Tigertail Productions, Miami-Dade College, and Deering Estate. It provides production and technical support, curatorial services, and training workshops for artists, arts organizations and media art professionals

iSAW documents and keeps an archive of all Subtropics public programs and prepares them for publication, access, and public presentation. And as its name implies, it also organizes EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS about alternative audio-visual technologies and new media

DOCUMENTATION + PUBLISHING

SUBTROPICS EDITIONS is a publishing initiative that makes extensive use of our vast ARCHIVE and SOUND ART COLLECTION containing original artwork and recordings documenting experimental music in South Florida since 1975. Eventually this page will be your point of access to explore the entire Subtropics Archive through the creative use of the site’s SEARCH FIELD

DISCUSSION

Aside from the educational opportunities available through our Artist Residencies, Sound Art Workshops, and the inevitable Q and A period typical of every performing and installation projects we present, Subtropics also created the following avenues for direct intellectual interaction with our audiences:

LIVING [ room ] MUSIC [ 1995-2000 ] is a series of concert events presented in people’s homes

LISTENING CLUB [ 2014-2018 ] is a series of periodically curate sessions open to all. It exposed general audiences to listening experiences that fostered a deeper understanding and enjoyment of sound. It sought to promote auditory literacy and an expansion of the listening pallet, not in an academic setting, but in a relaxed and contemplative atmosphere conducive to developing a taste for new sound experiences — like those typical of experimental music and sound art

SUBTROPICS RADIO [ IN THE WORKS ] is an online venue for dissemination of published and unpublished content from the Subtropics Archive including segments and interviews from the unedited FISHTANK RADIO JOURNAL as well as the occasional live webcast

PRESENTING

 

SUBTROPICS FESTIVAL [ 1989-present ], Miami’s festival of experimental music and sound arts, began in 1989 and under the artistic direction of Gustavo Matamoros has presented the most preeminent experimental artists of our times, bringing international attention to Miami and the formerly-known-as South Florida Composers Alliance ( SFCA ) from the emerging experimental arts community worldwide. After 20 annually produced editions, Subtropics turned biennial in 2009 and has presented a SUBTROPICS MARATHON—a key component of every festival showcasing Miami based artists since its inception—every off year. The festival’s 25th edition (and final one for a while) took place in 2021 at the Deering Estate Blackbox Theater. Soon after and because of the festival’s overwhelming community impact, Subtropics replaced South Florida Composers Alliance as the name of the organization

Other experimental presenting projects have included:

InterMIX [ 1990-1992 ] was a festival of intermedia installations resulting from collaborations between composers and visual artists presented in gallery and museum spaces in Miami

WORD(S)OUND [ 1993 ] was a festival of text-based sound art and poetry featuring world premiere performances by Jackie Apple, Adrian Castro, Jane Cortéz and the Fire-spitters, Kenneth Goldsmith, Alison Knowles, Joan LaBarbara, Jackson MacLow, Gustavo Matamoros, Desio Pignatari, Jan Sebon!, Kiki Wainwright and Gregory Whitehead

FROZEN MUSIC [ 2009-present ] is an experimental sound artist collective and performing ensemble designs and realizes immersive sound environments in response to the acoustical characteristics of available public sites. Its core members are Rene Barge, David Dunn, and Gustavo Matamoros

LISTENING GALLERY [ 2010-2015 ] was a public sound art project funded by Knight Arts Challenge and created by Gustavo Matamoros at the request of ArtCenter South Florida. It exposed millions of Miami Beach visitors to the experience of sound art in a public context. From November 2011 to May 2015, the project broadcasted original sound works by its creator and other artists across 24 channels, 24 hours a day, along the curbing facade of the 800 Building on Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, inviting visitors into the iconic Artcenter building. The sound installation was augmented by a project of facing video screens titled Face2Face, created in collaboration with Charles Recher

AUDIOTHEQUE [ 2012-2018 ] started inside Gustavo Matamoros’ resident artist studio at ArtCenter South Florida ( now Oolite Arts ). It provided audiences of up to 50 people with intimate access to some of the most adventurous, unfiltered, high quality experiences of sound-based art and performance available anywhere. With funding from Knight Foundation, Audiotheque 2.0 featured 30 channels of immersive sound created specifically for that space

Subtropics Organization, through its umbrella organization South Florida Composers Alliance, has received significant support for all its projects over the years from …

Government agencies such as City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; City of Coral Gables; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; Culture Builds Florida, State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; the Southern Arts Federation; and The National Endowment for the Arts.

Foundations such as John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Blank Family Foundation, The Dade Community Foundation, The Miami Foundation, Funding Arts Network, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, AT&T Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, Ford Foundation, John Cage Trust, Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund, Met Life Foundation, Nonsequitor Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Timucua Arts Foundation

Regranting organizations such as American Composers Forum, Center for Cultural Collaborations International, Chamber Music America, Florida Dance Association, Foundation for Contemporary Arts of New York, Meet The Composer, National Performance Network NPN, New Music USA, New Radio and Performing Arts, Opera America

International corporate partners Sennheiser USA, K-Array and Klein & Hummel as well as sponsors such as Artifact Records, Baldwin Pianos, Books & Books, C.F. Peters of New York, CIM Video Productions, Clave Corporation, Da’Vinci’s Foot Art Services, Elegua Records, Grolsch Beer, Hale Piano, Harold Golen Gallery, Opus Gallery, Lovely Music of New York, Morgan Music, Olympia Building, Rosebriar Café, Sounds Productions, Todd J. Jonas Architects, Vertical Response, Facebook