Installations
Sol: BFA Thesis
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March 22-31 2026
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The 4th installment of the CalArts anthology, Sol is an interactive sound installation built from recordings tied to memory, place, and collaboration. Sensors placed along the tree respond to proximity, causing the sound to shift and redistribute as people move through the space. The system holds onto past interactions through subtle decay, allowing traces of movement to linger and overlap. The result is a continuously evolving sound environment shaped by presence.
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The audio includes coquí frogs recorded in my late grandfather’s backyard in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, field recordings from parks in the San Fernando Valley, a Kaoss pad drone duet with Iggy Madison, and a koto improvisation by Sebastian Melendez. At the center, recordings of a domino game with friends act as a bridge between past and present, connecting childhood memory with my current community. The tree structure was built in New Jersey by my sister, Teresa Lleras, and the accompanying film was created by Ella Burke using recordings from a 2024 hike
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some of the MAX/MSP code I used for the audio layer redistribution
the arduino uno controller and HCSR04 sensor setup to track serial data for audio redistribution
Blood
part 3 of the ‘CalArts Anthology’
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May 13 2025
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“Blood” is Installment 3 of my CalArts Mental Health Series, turning inward again to explore recovery, grounding, and the deep-rooted memories that shape a person’s emotional landscape. Using rhythmic breath, layered harmonics, and intimate vocal manipulations, the piece treats blood as both metaphor and anchor representing lineage, resilience, and the body’s quiet determination to heal. This installment begins the transition from crisis toward reconnection, offering a sonic portrait of reclaiming oneself after sustained emotional turbulence.
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the physical installation
the graphic score made for some of the audio
behind-the-scenes shot during the recording session
Diagnoses & OutBurn
parts 1 + 2 of the ‘CalArts Anthology’
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May 12 2024
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“OutBurn” serves as Installment 2 of my CalArts Mental Health Series, expanding from internal rupture to the outward expressions of emotional overload. With distorted percussive layers, granular synthesis, and raw bursts of energy, the piece traces cycles of burnout, reactivity, and the volatile edges of coping. It embodies the feeling of holding too much for too long, when the mind’s pressures spill outward in flashes of intensity. This installment marks a shift toward examining visible behaviors and the embodied consequences of psychological strain.
Made and recorded in 2024
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Diagnoses” is Installment 1 of my CalArts Mental Health Series, opening the project with an exploration of the moment when one’s sense of self is disrupted by internal or external diagnosis. Through processed voice, tight electroacoustic textures, and sudden spatial constriction, the piece captures the psychological shock of confronting language that defines or confines you. Its sound world is deliberately intimate and unsettled, setting the foundation for a series that investigates how the mind copes, fractures, and begins to articulate its own experience.
Made in 2023
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