A celebration of six years of underground art

After providing live visuals for Sheena Dham, All That's Gone, and Synsor at Piqued's six-year anniversary, Fetz A/V joined host Korey on stage at Mission Synths to discuss his approach to visual performance. "I wouldn't be the artist I am today without this community," Fetz told the audience, reflecting on how San Francisco's underground scene has shaped his work.

The power of artistic communities

Fetz traced his artistic evolution from his first encounter with Korey at Resident Frequencies, when Korey handed him a Piqued sticker that opened up a new world of possibilities. "This world just keeps expanding, Resident Frequencies to Resident to Piqued," Fetz explained, crediting these three interconnected groups with his development as a visual artist. The conversation revealed how these communities provide more than just performance opportunities, they create spaces where artists can experiment freely and build off each other's energy. As Korey emphasized, "This is what makes Piqued is the community."

Embracing spontaneity in visual performance

What made this particular performance special was Fetz's decision to abandon his usual preparation methods entirely. "Today, I actually did zero preparation. I wanted to jam and just play along with the artists," he explained. This approach represented a departure from his typical workflow of selecting pre-made clips and samples. Instead, he chose to respond to the music in real-time, creating an entirely improvised visual experience that matched the energy and mood of each performer.

The tools behind the visuals

Fetz detailed his technical setup for creating the evening's visuals, using two main synthesizers alongside a live camera feed. His primary tool was the Chroma Cauldron Mainbow, an analog video synthesizer where he had built a custom patch and was "tweaking knobs and finding different looks to match the music." The second was the Recursion Studio from Entropy & Sons, which he described as "a high definition synthesizer, a lot of patterns and kind of fractal and movement." He layered these sources in Resolume, constantly resampling and building compositions throughout the night.

Spaces that nurture experimentation

The importance of having dedicated spaces for experimental art became a central theme of the conversation. Fetz expressed gratitude for venues like Mission Synths and events like Piqued that provide artists with the freedom to experiment without pressure. "It's nice to have this place to play and experiment and not have to worry about like performance or hitting cues," he said. Korey extended special thanks to Mission Synths owners Brian and Betsy for "letting everyone use this space to do creative experimental pieces of electronic music and video."

Looking forward while honoring the past

As the evening concluded, both Fezt and Korey shared upcoming projects that demonstrate the continuing vitality of San Francisco's experimental arts scene. Fetz announced his participation in a September 21st show at SF Jazz with NaturalCurves69, providing visuals for headliner Mark DeClive-Lowe. Korey introduced Ground Up, a new venture featuring a converted short bus equipped with DJ equipment and synthesizers for pop-up performances in parks. These projects reflect how the spirit of experimentation and community collaboration that Piqued has fostered continues to inspire new creative endeavors throughout the city.