Armstead Dickerson presents When I Saw the Sun

Dickerson combines various art forms to fashion new ways of interacting and connecting. When I Saw the Sun, a poetry EP/immersive language album released by his creative platform ADSS – All Different Shapes + Sizes, reimagines spoken word poems and album liner notes as interactive visual art. QR codes in the physical album (available at several Philly-area indie bookstores and record shops; see below) link to audio performances on SoundCloud, allowing listeners to experience the poems as performed. (Additionally, the audio is publicly accessible on YouTube and SoundCloud.) In the physical album, arrangements of photographs, words, colors, and space allow the reader and viewer to engage with Dickerson’s creative practices of Experiential Language Architecture (ELA) and Visual Language Architecture (VLA).

Revolution and reassurance

When I Saw the Sun takes steps toward revolutions in the heart by offering verbal and visual images that Philadelphians can relate to. Photographs juxtapose the natural world with the manufactured one, with dull steel, cement, and wires butting against bright clouds, sky, and cherry blossoms. Reflecting typical scenes around the city, the images are both ordinary and profound. Their contrasts capture the strangeness of life in the 21st century, in which we live less and less like humans did just a half-century ago.

If you feel exhausted by constantly toggling between real and virtual worlds, When I Saw the Sun offers some perspective and reassurance. And it is an ideal companion for folks seeking to digitally detox. The project pulls the audience into its world by demanding one’s full attention. This is not an album to play in the background while you multitask, though it has no popups, animation, or interactive graphics. Background music is great for workouts, cooking, and commuting, but When I Saw the Sun calls for deep listening, the kind I once regularly gave to favorite records, cassette tapes, and CDs.

Feeling seen is still important

Try to imagine—or remember—the experience of spending hours listening to whole albums, poring over the art and liner notes. Once I loved doing this. When I Saw the Sun invites the audience to listen and engage in this way, layering in Dickinson’s voice, his poems, and their imagery. Clocking in under 15 minutes, the audio keeps the immersive component manageable for digital-age attention spans. The intimate a capella recording reminds the listener they are not alone, and even offers some company.

“Hey bae,” Dickerson says on one of the tracks, “I want you to call my name. That’s what I call fame.” Yes, I thought. Me too. Feeling truly seen, heard, included, accepted, and loved seems harder than ever these days, though it remains as important as ever. When I Saw the Sun recognizes that these needs and desires make us human, and they keep us connected to each other.