The Hamilton Library Exhibit (official site here) is a combination of my Capitol Modern gallery items from my 2025 Climate Artist Residency with a few additions as well as a surprise guest appearance. The main addition is a wall featuring excerpts from my original coffee table/ poetry book idea that launched this whole project: a series of visual displays (juxtaposing the raw materials sourced from sites around the island) coupled with guest essays, poems, and songs written for and recorded with the final instrument.
Thus, the walkthrough shows viewers/listeners the raw materials sourced from the roadside or beach (plus poetic musing), the processed instrument (including song lyrics), and the cooked product (final recording featuring the instrument):
Publicity
Featured in UH News (May 7, 2026): https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2026/05/07/hamilton-exhibit-instruments-repurposed-from-opala/
This exhibit opening also coincided with a week-long East-West Center Arts Program residency with the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura (Paraguay), who brought their own energy (and song!) to the space.
Kani ka ʻōpala: music made from Rubbish 