American Ledger No. 1 is a narrative score for performance, telling the creation story of the founding of the United States of America. In chronological descending order, moments of contact, enactment of laws, events of violence, the building of cities, and erasure of land and worldview are mediated through graphic notation, and realized by sustaining and percussive instruments, coins, axe and wood, a police whistle, and a match. The score is displayed as a flag, a wall, a blanket, a billboard, or a door. As Soundings has traveled, Raven Chacon's score has been performed by local musicians across numerous venues, and the artist has frequently visited the hosting art spaces to work with students and performers as part of the larger project.
American Ledger (No. 1) by Raven Chacon
Raven Chacon, American Ledger (No. 1), 2018, vinyl transfer. Collection of the artist.
Part of Soundings: An Exhibition in Five Parts
Watch: Performances of American Ledger (No. 1)
About the artwork
Raven Chacon
Fort Defiance, Navajo Nation
Currently living in Albuquerque, NM
American Ledger (no. 1), 2018
For many players with sustaining and percussive instruments, voices, coins, axe and wood, a police whistle, and a match.
For at least 13 minutes.
For any number of musicians with any number of non-musicians.
Each line is a minute or longer.
Line 1 is for both percussive and bendable tones.
Line 2 begins with a warbly long tone crossfading into waves of harmonic or dynamic increases. X = chop wood.
Line 3 is for police whistle(s). Other instruments may join.
Line 4 is for coins to be thrown. Two instruments may accompany.
Line 5 is a line.
Line 6 is a grand decelerando ending with the striking of a match.
Line 7 is for acknowledging groupings of 5's and 4's. Chop wood. End with everyone and everything.
Raven Chacon
Raven Chacon
Raven Chacon is a composer, performer and installation artist from Fort Defiance, Navajo Nation.
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