Photo credit: Michael Kochman
In residence: January - February 2027
Guitarist and composer, Jessica Ackerley, has been described as “one of the most exciting guitarists to have emerged from the free music scene in recent years” (Wire Magazine). Expanding the lines between avant-garde jazz, contemporary classical, and ambient music, Ackerley has distinguished their musical voice across 25 releases as a bandleader and co-leader working with labels such as Innova, AKP Recordings, and 577 Records. Their music has garnered acclaim from publications like Pitchfork, BBC Radio, Wire Magazine, GRAMMY News, WholeNote, Musicworks and BandCamp, among others, making multiple critics’ year end lists.
During the residency Ackerley will investigate sonic interpretations of stasis and the experience of the Long Day and Polar Night. Having witnessed the continuous daylight of the Arctic summer in June 2024, they are drawn to the psychological effects of total darkness as experienced by societies conditioned to a 24-hour cycle of productivity. They seek to compose a work that replicates Polar time beyond capitalist frameworks by mimicking its duration as a listening experience. Through this piece, they also inquire into the broader environmental impacts of Western, productivity-driven schedules. This exploration of stasis and long-duration form will be synthesized with graphic score sketches of Svalbard’s landscapes and melodic impressions inspired by the people who have lived there across centuries.