Disaster Divergence (2025)

This collaboration was made possible by the Research and Creative Works AI Multidisciplinary Grant program at Texas A&M University, supporting innovative projects that bridge artistic expression and technological exploration.

All works composed by Francisco Perez (2025)

• Yearning (Prologue)

• Emerge

• Imminence

• Rigged

• Divergence

• Silence Where Voices Once Were

• Afterlight

• Yearning (Epilogue) 

Welcome to “Disaster Divergence,” an interdisciplinary performance that explores the complex aftermath of catastrophic events, specifically focusing on the tension between the immediate, communal response of "disaster convergence" and the subsequent dispersal and fragmentation of communities as neighbors are compelled to migrate. This performance explores extreme weather, through the elemental forces of wind and fire and particularly the effects of hurricanes and wildfires.  Central to the productions are the original composition and performances of percussionists Francisco Perez and Lynn Vartan along with Michael Collins's poem, “New Orleans Function.” The percussion performance addresses deaf experiences of music both through physical vibration and through interpretive American Sign Language (ASL). Notably, the ASL interpretation in this performance is generated by artificial intelligence, exploring the affordances where access, technology, and art meet.  "Disaster Divergence" aims to provoke reflection on the following themes:  innocence of the “before” to the sublime recognition of the power of the storms, to ultimately the indelible mark they leave on the lives of everyone. 

The Collaborative Team

Performers: Lynn Vartan and Francisco Perez Musical Composition: Francisco Perez

Technical Artists and Visuals: Tim Weaver

Sign Language Models and Visualization: Wai Tong

Text Curation: Marian Eide & Lynn Vartan

Production: Jeff Watson and Jam Martinez

Voice Recording: Anne Quakenbush & Lynn Vartan

Visual Art Images: Hollis Hammonds

Video Recording and Post Production: Video Lab

Poem by Michael Collins 

Special thanks to: Michael Bruner, Jinsil Hwaryoung Seo, The Institute of Applied Creativity, Ann MacNamara, Robyn J. Marcak, Brent Ehrig, Toby Pipes, John Moeller, Joel Zika, D'Maya Tabron, Dan Monroe, Zeyu Zhang