Eiko Do Espirito-Santo

Let me introduce you to Eiko. Eiko Do Espirito-Santo was born in Osaka, Japan on Feb. 10,1966, and grew up in San Paulo, Brazil. Thus, she considers herself Japanese-Brazilian. She completed her undergraduate work in Sao Paulo where she made a living working as a freelance composer, doing some work for television. She later received an MFA in Electronic Music and Recording Media from Mills college in 1996, where she studied and composed experimental digital music. Here at Mills she worked closely with Laeticia Sonami, Maggi Payne, and was inspired by Paul DeMarinis' and Chris Brown's interest in interment construction.

When she moved to Berkeley, she noticed right away how many differently-abled people lived their lives on their own, commuted, and the level of accessibility that was available to them. She became very interested in exploring this because in Brazil, she did not see so many differently-abled people out and about. In San Paulo, the level of accessibility is far, far less than here. She met many differently-abled people and realized that although it was so much more difficult for them to achieve certain tasks, many of them were very happy and living their lives intensely. She was moved by this, and began to ask herself: " If a bathroom can be accessible, or an ATM, why not musical instruments? ". She was already interested in making sound sculptures, and creating a space , environment, and an event where people come in and actively play music.

Thus, she was inspired to combine her knowledge of music, and minor knowledge of electronics and create Traquitanas Musicais-An Interactive Music Installation Designed for People With and Without Physical Disabilities. She feels that this project is about making music as accessible as possible and making it fun. Her hope was to create something that resembles a childhood playground in order to tap into our primordial playful essence.

At first, she encountered some skepticism concerning the possibility of this project, and attributed this to the fact that art is so often considered to be mystical, and not practical. At times, she found it difficult to find people who were willing to experiment with the project. Nonetheless, she persevered and found that her intuitive nature allowed her to connect with differently-abled people. She feels inspired by the intuitive side of life, pure and simple emotion. " I consider my work to be a success, if people have a good time with it ", she says. Her ultimate hope is that her work is accessible and understandable by everyday people. At the same time, she would like to offer her audience a different kind of experience with music.

She has been fortunate enough to have been supported in her musical pursuits by her friends and family. Her husband is the artistic director of her project. Her parents were always supportive, but did not realize exactly how serious her musical pursuits were until they began to see that she was getting paid to make music and was hired by a Broadcasting Company. They realized she was being taken seriously by her community. She feels it is important to acknowledge Mills College for their support and for encouraging her ideas and creativity to flourish.

Eiko is a true statement to the falling out of stereotypes about women in electronics. She has clearly found a unique way to bridge the gap between our intuitive and logical natures. I am extremely touched by her compassion, and it is my pleasure to introduce her to you.

Her installation was exhibited at Pro Arts Gallery in Oakland from March 13-April 20, 1996, as a part of Sound Culture 96'-The 3rd Trans-Pacific Festival of Sonic Art and Contemporary Sound Practice. Reviews were featured in Sculpture magazine and The Oakland Tribune. Her Senior Thesis is held at the Mills College Heller Rare Book Room in the library, and can also be found on Eiko's web page .