Arbitrary/Peremptory is a collaboration with visual artist and librettist Sean Lopez written for his show Always Girls and Forever Boys. Arbitrary/Peremptory combines autobiographical experiences from both of us and amalgamates them together into a fragmented and obscured narrative that holds parts of each of us. The voice in this piece is represented in multitudes and multiplicities, comprising not only the live performer, but also the entirety of the electronics. The computer and the voice are closely tied together and respond to one another; as the computer listens and reacts to the performer, the performer does the same. 

The narrative of this piece centers around an unnamed character full of contradictions, embodying strength and weakness, child and adult, divine and mortal, grief and joy. The primary narrative thread of this character centers around a grieving and abused child, attempting to deal with the dramatic and painful loss of his grandmother. We see him as he experiences the grief of loss, the pain of oppression and confinement, the trauma of violence and conflict, and the darkness of isolation. We see him attempt to transcend his circumstances, his pain, and even his human body.

Performed and Composed by J. Andrew Smith
Libretto and Scene by Sean Lopez
This piece was a finalist for the 2022 ASCAP/SEAMUS Student Commission Competition.

Arbitrary/Peremptory

JASmithComposer