“POLITUNES/THE FIRE LAST TIME PART 2”
Part 1 begins at 6:05
Sergey Khismatov: POLITUNES
Sergey Khismatov is a composer and multimedia artist whose works are presented at concert halls, art exhibitions and film festivals worldwide. His multi-focused media work explores the spatial distribution of sound.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, he invented a new audio-visual format called Video
Ensemble. This innovative medium intertwines spatial sound distribution with visual elements, creating intricate, mosaic-like structures. In 2023, while a fellow at the Villa Aurora Artists’ Residency program, Khismatov worked on the Video Ensemble composition POLITUNES.
In Khismatov’s words:
POLITUNES is a project about dictators and populists who keep singing the same
tunes over and over again. More than 100 political figures took part - unwillingly
but truthfully. All the sounds in this video come directly from the politicians you
see on screen. Only unprocessed sounds and videos were used.
Though we obviously feel the audio of this piece stands on its own, we encourage you to watch the full version of POLITUNES as well as to explore Sergey’s other Video Ensemble compositions.
Part II begins at 27:24
Feuchtwanger Refreshed: THE FIRE LAST TIME PART 2
Feuchtwanger Refreshed is an ongoing collaboration between USC's School of Dramatic Arts MFA Dramatic Writing Program, USC Libraries, and Villa Aurora through which graduate playwrights and their instructors present short scenes inspired by archival holdings and writings from USC's Feuchtwanger Memorial Library.
In this episode we hear three pieces performed as part of “The Fires Last Time.” Written and performed by student playwrights of the MFA Dramatic Writing Program at USC, these three excerpts take different perspectives on what it means to be home, and the way is in which that definition can create sanctuary for people in exile.
Field Trip by Alessandra Viegas
The Comics Section by Jason Grasl
The Whole Palisades is Lost by Moriyah Dichter
The event “The Fires Last Time” was organized by USC Feuchtwanger Memorial Library and Villa Aurora and performed at the Glorya Kaufman Community Center at the Wende Museum on April 29, 2025.
Listen to “POLITUNES/THE FIRE LAST TIME PART 2”