Luc Ferrari
To enter the world of Luc Ferrari is like opening a tunnel to the side of reality that both speaks in tongues and lifts sound and environment to new levels of erotic excitement. The immediacy of his work fascinates me. An ongoing study, this definitive guide to his life and work is always inspiring. I had the pleasure of performing with the master in Chicago at the suggestion of David Grubbs and I am forever grateful for this encounter. I feel the same about the magical time me and Chad Taylor (Chicago Underground Duo) spent in Paris, as the Batafour Club, eating fine French food on the river with Luc and his wonderful wife Brunhild.

Silent Snow, Secret Snow
This film was brought to my attention by Damon Locks, the enigmatic voice and composer of The Eternals, poet and sound projector in Exploding Star Orchestra. This 17 minute long film seems to be director Conrad Aiken's only film. A haunting look into the life of an American boy with a brilliant imagination who is constantly being harassed by the lethargic unimaginative world around him that is intent on stomping his creativity to nothingness. Through the idea of snow his mind soars to new heights of enlightenment and with the perfect sound score and perfect cut and snap editing this film truly inspires.

Nuno Ramos
I had the pleasure of visiting artist Nuno Ramos's studio in Sao Paulo Brazil a few years back and was immediately enthralled by his aesthetic. His large multi-dimensional sculpture paintings seem like a carnival gone haywire on the wall, but with a rigor that borders on the sublime. This site is a nice overview of his work.

James Turrell
I have been interested and fascinated by the light-perception works of James Turrell for some time now. I often think in terms of the projection of light in the sounds I am trying to make and also in the sounds of my compositions. His website can work as an introduction to his work.

Cy Twombly
I can't tell the numbers of times I go to this site to just look at the images. The way Cy Twombly constructs his paintings and sculptures, is like ribbons of foam stretching form and color like a slinky through a rainbow, through all the tragedies and triumphs of the world. Of course experiencing his works as part of the Menil Collection in Houston Texas is even more profound, but I find these works on the screen of my computer quite satisfying and inspiring anyway.

Experimental Sound Studio
Since 1986 Lou Mallozzzi has been providing an extraordinary outlet for experimental sound artists, sound designers and video artists etc. From production to presentation and education, Lou and company have been an integral proponents of the Chicago avant garde. The Studio houses an impressive Sun Ra and El Saturn archive and a very important archive of the late Malachi Ritscher, who was responsible for recording hundreds of improvised music and avant garde music events in Chicago between 1980-2006.

Samuel Mockbee
This architect’s work towards impressive but low-cost sustainable housing for people of low income is legendary. It is this type of social art that excites one to look at the complete picture of things rather than getting lost in your own personal dogma. A wonder to behold, the impact of the late Mr. Mockbee and Company at Rural Studio in Alabama is absolutely inspiring and its beauty fuel for an Opera I have been conceiving for some time now.

Stanisław Lem
Stanisław Lem is one of my favorite science fiction and social writers. His books are a constant inspiration for everything I do. Reading Lem, you are under the impression that everything around you might not be what it seems. His humor and way of explaining clearly an absurd situation reminds me of Shakespeare through the eyes of Charlie Chaplin while encountering strange creatures on the sixth moon of jupiter. I was very happy to learn on this site that his book Summa Technologiae is finally available in English.