Composer, pianist and interdisciplinary artist Mary Prescott presented an introspective, innovative and ethereal work at Public Functionary gallery’s new space in the Northrop King Building in Minneapolis on Saturday. The piece, “Tida,” reflected on grief, family heritage, and where home lives in the body.
With music degrees from the University of Minnesota and the Manhattan School of Music, Prescott is an accomplished pianist and composer, but that’s only part of her artistry. Her music is layered with other art forms to create an immersive, dynamic and narrative experience.
A Thai American, Prescott shared the story of her own family going back several generations, with a particular focus on her matrilineal lineage. Weaving in words, music, movement and video projection, Prescott’s story was both specific to her own family but also resonated with broader themes of yearning for connection to one’s roots.
A Steinway piano stood center stage. A translucent screen hung in front of it, where video footage and photographs were projected, with Prescott either playing or moving behind it. Not quite dance, the movement elements had a ritualistic tone, often working in companionship with the projections.
Archival family photos, nature imagery and video of Prescott moving through parts of the story were projected on the screen at different times. In one case, Prescott projects a photograph of her mother’s former home in Thailand, now a restaurant. Visible behind the screen, she appeared to be sitting in the restaurant as she spoke about the place.
Prescott began the piece by situating her journey in the pandemic. The composer commented on the period of isolation as a time when she reflected on her identity. From there, as the image of a full moon slowly descended from the top of the screen to the bottom, Prescott played the piano, which had been rigged to emit a chiming dissonance, as she whispered poetic language into a microphone.
Later, Prescott removed the devices from inside the piano that had caused its sound to be altered. She then played a lush and bellowing section of music.
Prescott shared stories of different family members, relaying her own experience searching for answers about her ancestors. In one case, as a photograph of an ancestor was shown on screen, she talked about how someone remarked how much she looked like him.
Prescott shared details about the lives of her grandmother and great grandmother, but the most poignant sections figured her mother as the central figure, and Prescott’s relationship to her. Prescott shared how her mother, an immigrant from Thailand, converted to Christianity after moving to the U.S. in part as a way to develop community and to stave off the isolation she felt. That decision, and her life in the U.S., also caused anguish, revealed by the mother’s grief over the death of Prescott’s grandmother, and bitter regret over having given up a Buddhist amulet in order to conform to her Christian faith.
Prescott’s piece disclosed her own questioning and yearning for a culture removed from her. Those feelings were evoked through her storytelling but also in her compositions. In a piece that included the lyrics “Oh Holy Night,” Prescott seemed to be referencing the familiar carol, using a different melody. The piece, sung by Prescott with simplicity and grace, carried irony and also awe toward the wonders of the natural world.
Based in the Twin Cities and New York, Prescott has understandably been getting attention nationally. While the Public Functionary performance was a one-time only event, she’s a musician to watch out for next time she shows work here.
