A celebrated bass-baritone known for his versatile performances in both classical and contemporary music, Davóne Tines (Born 1986, Portsmouth, Virginia; active New York, New York) has reframed an understanding of opera across generations. His vocation as a performer has led to a nomadic lifestyle, traveling up to 300 days per year. Yearning for a sense of place while on the road, Tines channels the formative site of his personal and musical development: his grandparents’ home in Orlean, Virginia, designed by Alma Lee Gibbs Tines.
Hugh Hayden, Davóne Tines, Zack Winokur, Installation of “Living Room, Orlean, Virginia” in Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Photo: Elliot Goldstein © Smithsonian Institution
Artist Hugh Hayden (Born 1983, Dallas, Texas; active Brooklyn, New York) has interpreted Tines’s elusive relationship with home as an attempt to regain balance and stability. A slice of Virginia country life set on a rocking plinth, the installation embodies the complexity of Tines’s memories of homes and music making while commenting on the tension between comfort and precarity felt across the US today. “Living Room: Orlean, Virginia” is activated throughout the Triennial by a sonic composition and series of live performances. A grandmother’s hum, the vibration of cello strings, sizzling bacon, and a variety of familiar and distinct sounds form a tapestry of domestic experiences built through family, friendship, and adventure.
Artistic direction by Zack Winokur (Born 1989, Boston, Massachusetts; active New York, New York). Sonic composition by Davóne Tines and Zack Winokur. Sound engineered by Al Carlson. Project coordination by Riley Duncan and Landon Wilson. Production support from AMOC* (American Modern Opera Company).
This installation is made possible with additional support from Alma Lee Gibbs Tines, John Hilton Tines Sr., and AMOC*.