Emma Palm & Marc Merza
Saturday January 31st
doors at 5:00pm | performance at 5:30pm
$20 general tickets* | $10 student tickets with ID
*All advance tickets include an embroidered tea towel!
Seven Cups Echo is a participatory performance that explores the interaction of senses in the context of an intimate tea ceremony. Utilizing an augmented tea set embedded with sensors, the gestures and movements of a gongfu style tea tasting will trigger and modulate quadrophonic sound and visual elements in real time. As participants are invited to drink tea, their movements will contribute to the co-creation of an evolving audiovisual environment, turning the ceremony into a collaborative composition scored by the ritual of both making and drinking tea. By drawing tangible connections between movement, taste, smell, sight, and sound, Seven Cups Echo creates a multi-sensory experience that reimagines a classic gongfu tea ceremony. Conceptualized and composed by Marc Merza and Emma Palm with creative technologist Álvaro Cáceres and live projections by Cuìxī Lín. Custom ceramic tea set made by Gerin del Carmen and snacks from Gu Grocery.
Emma Palm & Marc Merza
Emma Palm and Marc Merza are a Taiwanese-American and Filipino-American duo based in Los Angeles. Emma creates sonic environments that weave together layered beds of guqin, synths, field recordings, and vocals. Marc’s music moves between raw improvisation and detailed arrangements, often incorporating guitar, clarinet, and electronics. Together, they fuse their distinct practices into a shared sonic language—balancing structure with fluid exploration to shape textured, atmospheric experiences.
They have performed for events with LA Filmforum, Indexical, Clockshop, Dublab, Living Earth, Vintage Synth Museum, and Philosophical Research Society, as well as toured in Taiwan and across the U.S.
@notranslation.wav / https://no-translation.com/
@marchaelmerza / https://www.marcmerza.com/
Álvaro Cáceres
A Madrid-based composer and creative technologist from Madrid, Álvaro merges code, music and video mapping to craft immersive performances—from church organs to virtual metal bands. With shows across five countries, he has collaborated with Andy Vargas, 011668, AV Club SF and LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER, among other major festivals and institutions.
@alvaro.makes.music
Gerin del Carmen
Gerin del Carmen is a Los Angeles–based ceramic artist creating handbuilt vessels that balance ornament, function, and display. Her work uses surface and form to draw attention while allowing objects to enter everyday circulation. Through use and handling, the ceramics register care and interruption as part of their material life. Her practice is informed by material studies that consider how objects carry memory through repetition and time.
@gerindelcarmen
Gu Grocery
Gu Grocery is a Chinese-Taiwanese catering & pop-up concept rooted in family recipes and traditional flavors, known for their savory picnic-friendly food, steamed rice cakes, and baked goods featuring fun, seasonal, and local California ingredients. Mama Peggy and Aunty Jess are ready to feed you and help you cook too! They welcome you to visit their new brick and mortar grocery and deli shop in Chinatown, opening soon. 菇 Gu means Mushroom and 姑 Gu means Aunty. Gu Grocery embodies the healing and nurturing energy of both.
@gu_grocery / https://www.gu-grocery.us/