Meet the Artists - Gabrielle Cerberville
About: Gabrielle Cerberville (they/she) is an American composer and interdisciplinary artist turned creative alchemist. She writes with an experimental flair that is at once familiar and alien, and her work regularly blends the lines between disciplines and discrete art forms. Her work is an exploration of communication, primarily between humans and our natural neighbors (plants, fungi, animals, and finding our place within ecosystems). She holds a Masters of Music in composition from Western Michigan University and a Bachelor of Music from Butler University in composition, and is pursuing her Ph.D in Music Composition and Computer Technologies at the University of Virginia. Gabrielle has studied traditional and electronic composition with Drs. Lisa Coons, Christopher Biggs, Frank Felice and Michael Schelle.
How do you describe your practice?
I am a curious American composer turned creative alchemist. Creative alchemy is a state of being as well as an action taken. It is a predetermined decision to follow the impulse of any new work as it unfolds and to collect any new skills that may become necessary to see it through honorably. Creative alchemy leaves nothing on the table, be it visual, culinary, auditory, kinesthetic, biological, mechanical, or organic. The goal is always to serve the needs of the work at hand. It is beyond interdisciplinary, as each added layer of a work begins to lose its discrete identity to the collective whole. Alchemy is the fantastical process of transforming base materials into gold; therefore creative alchemy is the transformation of available creative matter into a new and deeply integrative art. As such, I choose to identify myself as a creative alchemist rather than a composer.
What are your influences, what inspires you?
I am influenced primarily by nature itself, as well as the interactions that can be observed between humanity and what we call nature. As a community scientist, mycologist, and wild food advocate, I tend to integrate botanical and fungal wisdom into my work. Much of this work is designed to place the listener in an immersive or unusual setting, or to rebuild real places and moments in an imaginary, sometimes fantastical space.
Where are you based and what is your background in terms of education?
I am based in Virginia in the United States, where I am currently pursuing my PhD in music composition and computer technologies at the University of Virginia. I received my undergraduate music composition degree from Butler University in Indiana (BMus) and my masters from Western Michigan University.
What does engaging with nature mean to you as an artist?
Humanity is an integral part of nature, we are the consciousness of the known universe. Engaging with nature means engaging with the deepest parts of ourselves, including the things that frighten us or make us uncomfortable. True engagement with nature requires us to see the other, as ourselves, to recognize the inherent value in all that surrounds us. It is a perspective shift to not only see yourself in others humans, but to see the humanity in something so apparently insignificant as a mushroom.
What does it mean to be selected for the summer school?
It is a great honor to be selected for the summer school. The aim of this program align deeply with my held beliefs and interests, and I am greatly looking forward to spending time with others who are passionate about the artistic revelation of the natural world as I am.