- This event has passed.
Invisible Scissors, Alice Cohen & Built by Scriabin
Invisible Scissors is an experimental duo formed out of NYC’s underground film community with previous projects in film, music, zines and expanded cinema performance.
Rachael Guma’s practice stems from work in foley sound. She plays with amplified objects made of metal and wood, as well as a rotary phone, theremin and other electronics. Sarah Halpern sings and plays electric guitar, incorporating straight forward chord progressions as well as extended techniques based on ways of touching. Together they create a broad range of sounds rooted in physicality.
Alice Cohen is a musician and visual artist based in Brooklyn, NY.
Starting out in Philly during the Sound of Philadelphia disco era, she began releasing music in the late 1970s after entering a local radio contest. In 1979 she had her first release with Philly funk band Fun City, “Save the Best for Last” (Chrysalis Records), and in 1982 wrote the song “Deetour” for Atlantic Records’ disco singer Karen Young. In the 80’s she was in the synth-pop band The Vels (Polygram Records), and in the 90’s she sang and played bass with grunge band Die Monster Die (Roadrunnner Records).
In recent years she has released a series of self-produced solo LPs on independent labels such as Olde English Spelling Bee, Sixteen Tambourines (Tokyo), and NNA Tapes. To date – Cohen has released 7 solo LPs, her 8th – “Archaeology” – comes out in October 2025.
In addition to her musical output, Cohen is also a visual artist known primarily for her work in stop motion collage animation. She has created numerous music videos, and her work has been shown in galleries and screenings worldwide.
Built by Scriabin brings together a group of long-time collaborators to explore the outer boundaries of the Cosmic American Folk landscape, channeling songwriter Jim Strong’s instincts for noise, paranoid psychedelia, and surrealism into meticulously crafted full-band arrangements. Their sound has been described as “Leonara Carrington does the basement tapes” (Wire Magazine). After its beginnings as a short-lived musical saw orchestra, the project has evolved into something strangely melodic—even catchy—seemingly far removed from the Himalayan foothills where the visionary composer Alexander Scriabin imagined immersive environments of sound and light as a means of accelerating human evolution. Wait and see. Strong has been active in underground music for two decades, performing in projects as varied as Melkings, Weyes Blood, Eyes of the Amaryllis, and Aponia A.D. In addition to building homemade musical instruments, he works across a range of media as a visual artist. He is joined by Jordan Burgis, Jacob Brunner, Gabe Romero, and possibly other special guests.
accessibility: two steps from street to venue.
Please note, entrance is via the side door on Arizona Street.