IlluminArts’ Earths to Come at The Bass in Miami Beach

Oct 6

3 min read

I recently returned to The Bass in Miami Beach to photograph another event for IlluminArts. Earths to Come featured Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth, with music by Inti Figgis-Vizueta and projections by Rose Bond. The program brought contemporary vocal music, visual art and storytelling together inside the museum.

Roomful of Teeth performing for an audience in the Lindemann Family Courtyard at The Bass in Miami Beach.

An evening that began in the galleries

IlluminArts often creates performances that place music in conversation with visual art, architecture and community spaces, so my assignment began before the concert itself.

Guests were free to explore the galleries, and I spent the first part of the evening photographing patrons as they moved through The Bass and interacted with the artwork.

I always enjoy these quieter moments at an event. Someone stopping to study a piece, pointing something out to another guest, or taking a photograph of something that caught their attention can say a lot about the experience without anything needing to be staged.

Two guests closely viewing an artwork inside The Bass before the IlluminArts performance.

Visitor viewing artwork inside The Bass with a circular sculpture in the foreground.

The evening then shifted from exploring the museum to gathering for the concert.

Photographing Earths to Come

Printed program for IlluminArts’ Earths to Come performance at The Bass.

Roomful of Teeth performed in the Lindemann Family Courtyard for a full audience. The atmosphere created by the voices was one of the most interesting parts of the evening for me.

At times the music felt melodic, while at others the individual voices became layers or collections of sound that seemed to move through the space. It created an immersive experience that felt very different from photographing a traditional concert.

Opening remarks before the IlluminArts performance with the audience seated in the courtyard.

Members of Roomful of Teeth performing during Earths to Come at The Bass in Miami Beach.

The program also included works by Caroline Shaw, Leilehua Lanzilotti, Peter S. Shin and Angélica Negrón.

Toward the end of the performance, the atmosphere shifted again. The lights in the courtyard were dimmed and projections appeared on the wall above the performers, changing both the look and the feeling of the space.

From a photography standpoint, this final portion was also the most challenging. The available light became extremely limited, so I had to adapt quickly while still remaining as quiet and unobtrusive as possible.

For performances like this, I want the photographs to preserve the atmosphere of the room without interfering with the experience unfolding in front of me.

Roomful of Teeth performing in low light during the final portion of Earths to Come.

Roomful of Teeth performing beneath green projections during Earths to Come at The Bass.

Telling the story beyond the performers

When I photograph an event, I try not to spend the entire time pointing my camera toward the stage. The audience, the environment and the small moments happening around the main program are often just as important in telling the full story.

Audience members applauding during the IlluminArts performance at The Bass in Miami Beach.

Guest recording part of the Earths to Come performance on a phone at The Bass.

Those photographs help preserve what the event actually felt like, not only who performed. They also give an organization a more complete collection of images to use when sharing the event afterward.

This is my second year working with IlluminArts, photographing some of the larger events in their season. I especially enjoy assignments like these because every performance presents something different visually, and the combination of music, art and an unusual space means the evening never feels quite like a conventional concert.

Wide view of Roomful of Teeth beneath the Earths to Come projection at the end of the performance.

Earths to Come was a wonderful example of that. What began with guests quietly exploring the galleries became an evening filled with voices and unexpected sounds, culminating in a final section where darkness and projected imagery transformed the courtyard once again.

I’ve also photographed other nonprofit and cultural events throughout Miami, including GIVE Miami Day.

If you're planning a cultural event, performance or special gathering in Miami and are looking for photography that documents both the main program and the atmosphere surrounding it, feel free to get in touch about your plans.