Miami Art Museum Hosts Afterhours This Thursday with Flash Orchestra and Poem Depot

Tinker with something just a little and big things can happen. The

has done just that, keeping their doors open later than usual on Thursday, ushering in a new wave of night owl art aficionados. As the sun sets, Miami transforms into place a little grimier and a lot more beautiful. The simple change in time alters the setting, and voila, the museum experience is turned on its head.

Afterhours at the Miami Art Museum, always offer an eclectic lineup, a true artistic melting pot -- like the city it resides in. This Thursday, expect a performance by sound art collectives Frozen Music and Flash Orchestra. You'll also have the chance to meet local artists Adler Guerrier and Mette Tommerup. As always, Talking Head Transmitters will do a live radio broadcast, this time with the PDMD Ensemble. And for the literary minded, the Miami Poetry Collective's Poem Depot will be on hand, writing commissioned poems.

We recently spoke to

, creator of Flash

Orchestra, a project that epitomizes the mood of Afterhours. "Flash

Orchestra," she said, "is a sound art collective that formed out of

experimentation with a software called Flash, originally designed for

making interactive websites and games. I began a couple of years ago

making instruments of my own and decided to test it out as a project

with my students. A couple of students really enjoyed it, and now we are

Flash Orchestra, working, and making collaborative pieces."

In a Flash Orchestra performance, geometric abstractions are projected

while sounds are played, creating simultaneous visual and audio

dissonance. "The sounds and the animations are synergistic. The

animations are intended to reflect the behavior of the sound through

space. A physical space is carved out through projection that is

cinematic, experiential, sculptural, all of the above."

When asked about audience reaction, Carlisle perfectly described what

Flash Orchestra and Afterhours are about. "They are walking into new

territory,  and within the particular context of the museum, may

feel tested on those grounds."

Afterhours is at the Miami Art Museum (101 W. Flagler St., Miami) Thursday from 6 p.m to 9 p.m. Admission costs $5 for

members and $15 for non-members. Call 305-375-1704 or visit

miamiartmuseum.org.

--Alex Perez

• Art