In 2010, Tauba Auerbach unveiled the Auerglass, a two-person pump organ that only plays when both musicians engage the foot pedals. The formal concerns of the technologically sophisticated-looking 3-D-printed objects, glass sculptures, acrylic and woven paintings and books on view in “Projective Instrument” don’t mediate social relations like the Auerglass, but they do catalyze a human connection in the three performances that Auerbach scheduled during the run of her show. Brooklyn-based trio Zs released their latest album, for which the artist designed the cover, at the gallery in January. Their avant-garde music, according to Auerbach, examines similar structural concerns to the sculptures on view. MSHR, a multimedia collaboration of Birch Cooper and Brenna Murphy, generates sensory experiences through sonic installations. This Saturday, experimental woodwind duo Travis Laplante and Peter Evans will perform selections from their new album “Secret Meeting.” For all of the artists involved, including Auerbach, tense structures beget transcendent experiences.–Julia Wolkoff
Pictured: Installation view of Tauba Auerbach’s exhibition “Projective Instrument”; at Paula Cooper, New York.