Composer and visual artist Gino Robair presents Radical Divination, his “opera of augury through papermaking.” During this event, papermakers create—using performative, game-based structures—a score for an operatic work. That score then serves as a platform for interpretation by an ensemble of musicians. Although considered a craft rather than a performance-based artform, papermaking embodies its own rich choreography and provides an environment for artistic exploration.

Performers include Michelle Wilson and Gino Robair (papermaking), Krys Bobrowski (invented instruments). Kyle Bruckmann (oboe), Tom Djll (trumpet and electronics), Cheryl Leonard (amplified objects), John Shiurba (guitars), and Karen Stackpole (gongs).

As a composer and visual artist, Robair explores the way nonstandard and graphical notations influence interpretive performances across different media: music, dance, video, and theater. He is currently working toward a PhD in performance studies at UC Davis, developing performative models for improvised papermaking and letterpress printing.