de/composition: Native Trees, Sonic Roots is an immersive multimedia performance driven by ambient soundscapes, dynamic visuals, narrative storytelling and movement grounded in ecological stories. Real-time audio converted from the bio-electric inputs of trees and worms are merged with live electronic music and Latin folk percussion. de/composition invites audiences to slow down, listen, and experience the world around them in a new way.
Led by composer and producer June Lopez, alongside narrator, ecologist and contemporary dance performer Dr. Jamé McCray, with visual artists Samara Talkin and Neil Cippon, this evolving performance spotlights the surrounding environment of the Tookany/Tacony–Frankford Watershed through its trees, water, and wildlife.
Following the successful debut of de/composition: Native Trees, Sonic Roots on June 27, 2026, de/composition 1.2: Native Trees, Sonic Roots will be performed on Saturday, October 3, 2026, also at Bennett Compost.
Each performance will be unique, with new sounds, visuals, and performers becoming part of the experience. We welcome Latin folk percussionists – Christian Noguera, Andrés Cisneros and Esteban “El Tongo” Hernández – to the music ensemble for the October 3rd performance!
de/composition is supported by a Tree Forward grant from TreePhilly, a Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Program; PHMC, and William Penn Foundation.
Additional thanks go to our participating partners: Bennett Compost, TreePhilly, Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, Discovery Center at Fairmount Park, Grover Washington Jr. Middle School and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.
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The project is the brainchild of June Lopez and Olney Cultural Lab’s founder and executive producer Ambrose Liu. de/composition embodies a deep alignment over twelve years in the making. It grows out of our ongoing reciprocal partnership with the holistic Olney community – the twin eco-systems of the urban green space in our midst and the local immigrant cultures of varying traditions. Both inspire us and are brought together in conversation through de/composition.
de/composition will continue into 2027 when it will culminate with two performances featuring the inclusion of the larger music ensemble later in the year.
(WARNING: Intense lighting will be used during this show. It will not be safe for those with epilepsy and other conditions with sensitivity to light.)
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