she/her

Regina Martinez experiences sound as records of our connections and departures. Her current experiments draw from an archive of infinitely personal recordings she relates to as soundmarks: her father’s hands cleaning dried beans, a child telling a story to another child, drumline rehearsal after school, the creak of the front gate to home. Each recorded moment becomes its own instrument, its own layer of a composition and a washing and wringing out of memory meant to be overheard like a poem again and again.

The Fellowship Project

HCL continues to support Regina in developing an audio-visual live performance series guided by the name, holding stones. Each gathering presents a sound story set to experimentations with multi-channel light, shadow and video projection.

The Initial Project

HCL supported Regina to develop a body of work she recalls as “death bed practice.” The project was guided by an imaginary letter her mother writes to her father. Regina focused on organizing her continuous sound archive and experimenting with multi-channel video projection. Throughout her residency, she also invited longtime collaborators to join her in HCL’s studio as part of her interest in collective practices.

Her residency culminated in a performance described as “a love story expressed in sound” in which Regina was joined by guest percussionist Daniel Villarreal inside a visual world woven together by Lori Mendoza, and introduced through a welcome set by DJ Nina Nite.

About the Artist

Regina Martinez, also known as selective listening, is a sound centered artist based in Chicago. She grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri where she was artistic director of the Pink House neighborhood art space for creative exchange with children and their families. She is co-creator of “the clothesline” monthly one-night audio-visual installation in St. Louis. More recently she was program manager for Threewalls in Chicago, and received an MA in Sound Arts & Industries from Northwestern University.  She continues to carry with her the wisdom of clotheslines and the artwork of children.

For more information, visit Regina’s website.

Events with HCL

Regina Martinez | holding stones | December 7, 2023

Harris Fest: Music + Dance in the Park | September 9, 2023

Spring Open House @ Mana Contemporary | Saturday, April 13, 2024

Dance Sound Sound Dance Party | Friday, June 21, 2024