Estevan Carlos Benson is a first-generation artist, poet, and composer based in Los Angeles, California. His work addresses technology, culture, and creative exploration through custom built tools. He has toured as a VJ, teaches design in Southern California, and writes about music technology and ethnomusicology. As a teaching artist, Estevan regularly offers workshops and presentations. He has presented at the Louise and William Greaves Seminar, workshops at the Art Center College of Design, and poetry organizations.
“Originally intended to reveal the beauty of the poetic form evolved into a project that offers an outlet for those who are at a loss for words. Collective Verse, is an audio/visual, interactive installation informed by the tradition of Japanese Renga—a tradition in which multiple poets create a single poem—but focused on engaging the voices of my community: the Mesoamerican community. During the weight of the current political moment, my project will reveal our collective thoughts with sacred considerations. I aspire to reflect on our history of communal and ritual engagement through multiple mediums.”