• An interactive self-portrait
    Emily Erekson and Jamie Erekson

    Shown here exhibited on the Manhattan Bridge in October 2024, was this the face displays a transmorphing mosaic of outsourced selfies deconstructing the notion of identity. Framed beneath the composite image is a counter that answers specific prompts we routinely update on wasthistheface.org. Prompts range from "How many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have I eaten this week?" to "How many times have I smelled my baby's head this morning?" Currently, it reads: "How many neurological tics do I have in a day?" (Emily has Tourette Syndrome.) This work serves as our artistic playground—a space to explore personal narrative and the liminal space between "Self" and "Other." How do we define ourselves when our image is pieced together from others? How do our narratives shape who we are? Can we ever truly understand the "Other," or are we always reflecting fragments of ourselves?

    Commissioned by the New York State Council on the Arts, the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, and the Salt Lake City Arts Council.

    Photo by James Ransom.

  • An interactive kinetic sound sculpture
    Jamie Erekson

    This sculpture represents the four historically redlined districts of Salt Lake City, with performers engaging within the "zones" they inhabited during their youth.

    Funded by the Salt Lake City Arts Council.

  • An interactive installation for female voices
    Emily Erekson

    “Out of the rolling ocean the crowd came a drop gently to me … I too am part of that ocean, my love, we are not so much separated, Behold the great rondure, the cohesion of all, how perfect!”
    — Walt Whitman, Out of the Rolling Ocean the Crowd

    I gave twenty-two women a set of parameters: 

    • Use your voice, no other instrument

    • Record for 1-3 minutes

    • Start and end by humming a D

    • Listen to a D continuously on headphones while you record

    • Don’t copy pre-existing music

    • You get one take--once you start, just keep going

    Some were more comfortable with this exercise than others. Many felt their voices were inadequate and were hesitant to participate, while those who identified themselves as “singers” confidently volunteered. A few wished they had more rules and an example to make sure they did it “correctly,”  while others thrived in the flexibility and freedom. Some meticulously planned. Some spontaneously vocalized. One woman hummed a single pitch the entire time. Another beat-boxed. The end result was a beautifully diverse sound-bank of voices, each with its own unique timbre, rhythm, intonation and harmony. 

    I used this sound-bank as raw material to dissect, re-structure and shape into five contrasting movements: four pre-composed and one continuously evolving. These movements are connected by a series of algorithmically-paired duets and trios that are drawn from recordings by the initial twenty-two women and the voices of each new participant. As I composed, I enjoyed exploring the dynamic relationship between the individual and the community. How does this relationship impact the choices we make as individuals? How do these choices interweave to create our social framework? How do we connect with others? How do we separate?  

    Exhibited in 2023 in the Church History Museum. Commissioned by the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts.

  • An opera for 16 singers and chamber orchestra
    Jamie Erekson

    Germany, 1295. The village of Hamelin has no children; they have been taken by the piper. A note was posted on the bell tower threatening death to the inhabitants of the town if a child is ever found in the village again. Anna still believes they will return, but her hope falters when a little girl stumbles into town and sets into motion a series of events that reveal the true identity of the piper and the fate of the lost children.

    Puppets by Davey Erekson.

    One of the most moving operas we put on at BYU — Darrell Babidge, The Juilliard School

    Captivating — Nicolas Giusti, Utah Lyric Opera

    A brilliant, new twist on an old tale — Laurence Vincent, BYU Opera

  • For solo piano
    Jamie Erekson

    Performed by Emily Erekson (and Lydia Erekson).