Kelli Cain’s interest in historical forms of ceremonial vessels combined with her appreciation for mundane domesticity permeate her quest to redefine communion. Boundaries made to delineate sacred space and the impulse to create such boundaries in a material form, are responses that she finds both curious and necessary. For her these are playful collaborations where offerings are made, forms of communication devised, and unseen forces are entertained.
Kelli Cain studied Experimental Animation at CalArts where she first began collaborating with Brian Crabtree on music, films and electro-mechanical installations. Together, in 2006 they founded Monome, an inventive design company born of their shared love of learning, collaboration and music making. Monome makes a series of open ended, minimally designed music performance machines while maintaining a small is beautiful business ethic. Monome continues to explore ideas of generative use while supporting international community engagement through their open source programs. In 2019 Monome moved from the farm that Cain and Crabtree share to it’s current home at 100 Main Street. Half Hidden, as it has come to be known, is a three story building in the center of the village that they lovingly restored to reimagine a part of their rural life in upstate New York. Half Hidden is also now home to Cain’s ceramic studio along with other artist studios, small businesses, an esoteric library and an apartment for artists in residence. In 2022 Cain and Crabtree established Luck Dragon on the first floor of Half Hidden, an art supply store to serve local artists, host events and offer anachronistic workshops such as Medieval Silver Casting and Computer Folk Craft. Half Hidden and Luck Dragon are Cain’s most recent efforts to create sources of celebration, wonder, and conversation around the ambiguous nature of art and craft. Cain continues to make music, tends an apple orchard and peony farm, and likes to learn new things.