Sarah Small

Last updated
Sarah Small
Sarah Small.jpg
Born1979
EducationB.A. in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design
Occupation(s)Composer, Vocalist, Filmmaker, Performer, Director, Photographer
Known for
  • Tableau Vivant (performance)
  • Black Sea Hotel (vocal ensemble)
  • The Delirium Constructions (photography series)
  • Butter on the Latch (film)
  • Secondary Dominance (performance, album, film)
ParentFather: Haskell Small
Website https://www.sarahsmall.com/

Sarah Small (born 1979 in Washington D.C.) is a Brooklyn-based American artist, composer, singer, filmmaker, photographer, and performer featured on Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble's GRAMMY-Winning album, Sing Me Home. [1] [2] She is known for her photographic and Tableau Vivant performance series The Delirium Constructions, singing as part of the Balkan vocal trio Black Sea Hotel, acting as the protagonist in the feature film Butter on the Latch by Josephine Decker, and directing the musical album, new music opera performance, and feature film Secondary Dominance.

Contents

Education and career

She attended high school at The Field School, in Washington, D.C. [3] and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in photography. [4] [5]

After graduating from college, Small moved to Brooklyn and worked as a photographer for 13 years. Her work has appeared in publications including Vogue, [3] Life Magazine, [3] The New York Times, [6] The Washington Post, [7] and The Wall Street Journal, [8] has been showcased by John Schaefer on WNYC’s Soundcheck [9] and National Public Radio, and exhibited globally at venues including Galerie Caprice Horn (Berlin), Corcoran Gallery of Art (Washington DC), and the Australian Centre for Photography. She was named one of the “Top 13 Emerging Photographers” working today, by American Photo Magazine. [10]

In 2002, Small began studying Bulgarian vocal production in a start-up Bulgarian women's choir, Yasna Voices. [11] In 2006, Yasna Voices traveled on grant to  Bulgaria to study with master singer Kremena Stancheva, a founding member of the Bulgarian women’s choir,  Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares. [12]

In 2007, Small co-formed Brooklyn's Balkan vocal ensemble, Black Sea Hotel. She has premiered original works with Kronos Quartet in collaboration with Black Sea Hotel at St. Ann's Warehouse. [13] [14]   and National Sawdust, and on stage with Reggie Watts and Sxip Shirey and Joe’s Pub. [9] The vocal trio  was featured in Small's Tableau Vivant of The Delirium Constructions in 2011 and headlined the Lund Choral Festival in Scandinavia in 2018. [15] [16] Black Sea Hotel has taught Balkan folk singing  internationally, with a specialization in songs from Shopluk, Bulgaria. Highlights include teaching residences at Sjöviks Folkhögskola in Sweden

In 2009, she taught Portrait Photography to seniors at the Parsons School of Design, and has taught darkroom photography to children and adults. [3] In 2011, her 120-participant Tableau Vivant performance was featured in The Washington Post and The New York Times. [17] [18]

In 2012, Small formed Hydra, another vocal trio, [19] and performed with Sean Ono Lennon and Taxiplasm at The Box. [20] [21]

In 2014, Small starred in Butter on the Latch, [19] a psychological thriller film directed by Josephine Decker, which was on The New Yorker's “10 Best Movies of 2014.” [22]

In 2016, Small was invited by Beth Morrison and HERE Arts Center’s PROTOTYPE Festival to premiere her work “Secondary Dominance” on stage, [23] [24] which has since been made into several music videos and a feature film. [25] [26]

As a photographer and performance artist, Small has exhibited and lectured internationally for The Lucie Foundation ,, [27] Apple Store Soho, and at the China International Photographic Exhibition granted by the Ministry of Culture of China. [28]

Select photography exhibitions

Select performance art

Filmography

TitleTypeYearProducerPerformerDirectorComposerSingerPhotographerRef
Docuconcoction of the Delirium ConstructionsDocumentary film2024YesYesYesYesYesNo
Secondary DominanceFeature film2023YesYesYesYesYesNo [26] [40]
Don’t Worry Darling Feature film2022NoNoNoNoYesNo [41]
The Autopsy of Jane Doe Feature film2016NoNoNoNoYesNo
Collective: UnconsciousAnthology film2016NoYesNoNoNoNo [42]
Thou Wast Mild and Lovely Feature film2014YesNoNoNoNoNo
Butter on the Latch Feature film2013NoYesNoNoYesNo [19]
Tableau Vivant of the Delirium Constructions (filmed at Skylight One Hanson, 2011)Short Film2011NoYesYesYesYesNo [43]
Team Queen Short film/Music video2007NoNoNoNoNoYes
Molotov SambaFeature film2005NoNoNoNoNoYes
NeuroticaShort film2003NoNoNoNoNoYes

Discography

YearArtistTitleType
2023Sarah SmallBoomerang of Black FluorescenceAlbum
2023Sarah SmallBehind the GymnasiumChamber Work
2019Sarah SmallSecondary DominanceAlbum
2016Silk Road EnsembleSing Me HomeSingle: “Sadila Jana” [44] [45]
2014 Jessi Colter and Lenny Kaye The PsalmsSingle: “Psalm 81” [46]
2014HydraHydraSingle: “Sonnet 81”
2014HydraHydraSingle: “Wake Up”
2013Black Sea HotelThe Forest is Shaking and SwayingAlbum
2010Ansambl MastikaSongs & Dances for Life NonstopSingle: “Iskupav Poema” [47]

Select music photography

Select photography awards

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