Overview
Travis Johns (b. 1983) is a sound artist residing in Ithaca, NY, whose work includes performance, interactivity, installation, and printmaking, often incorporating eco/bio-based themes and electronic instruments of his own design. As an improviser he performs primarily on electric bass and electronics; with studies in the field conducted under the tutelage of Fred Frith, Joelle Leandre, and Butch Morris, among others. Active in the San Francisco Bay Area experimental music scene for several years, Johns moved to Costa Rica in 2011 where he collaborated extensively with visual artist Paulina Velazquez-Solis on Raro, an immersive sound and sculpture installation that represented Costa Rica in the 2013 Biennial of the Central American Isthmus (BAVIC). Since returning to the states, first to Baltimore and later to Ithaca, he’s continued to apply his trade as a composer, educator, sound artist and instrument builder under the nom de plume of Vaux Flores, with clientele and collaborators ranging from museums, theatre groups and dance troupes to Oscar award-winning film composers and Grammy award-winning musicians.
He holds a B.M. in Technology in Music and Related Arts (TIMARA) from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, studies conducted with Tom Lopez, as well as an M.F.A. from Mills College in Electronic Music and Recording Media, studies conducted with Chris Brown, Les Stuck, Hilda Paredes, and Pauline Oliveros. He has participated in residencies at such places as the Atlantic Center for the Arts and RPI’s Create @ iEar, and has had work featured by el Museo Centroamericano de Arte Video (MUCEVI), the Electronic Music Foundation, Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), the Bienarte 8 Costa Rican Biennial, el Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, MAC Panama, The California Academy of Sciences, Alianza Francesa de Guatemala, The Lab (San Francisco), Battery Townsley (Marin County, Ca), el Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo de Costa Rica, and Rhizome DC.
