Today we’d like to introduce you to james talambas.
Hi james, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always been involved in art and music in one way or another. As a child, I started improvising on the piano and joined the school music program, learning instruments like the cello, trumpet, and bass. Music became my escape from the challenges I faced at home and in school. I later studied audio engineering and music composition in college, which opened up new avenues for creative collaboration. As I worked with other artists, I found my own voice while helping them develop theirs.
Over time, my journey expanded beyond just music. I began exploring how to blend creativity with technology, experimenting with different mediums, tools, and processes. I’ve always been driven by curiosity, and that’s led me to find new ways to use technology to push the boundaries of artistic expression, whether through data-driven projects, interactive designs, or software experimentation. Eventually, I founded New Media Contemporary allowing me to collaborate with inspiring artists across all mediums. Every step of the way, I’ve focused on staying open to new ideas, creating work that feels innovative and meaningful.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. Like anyone, I’ve faced my share of challenges, personally and within this industry, which I’ve referenced in past interviews, but those experiences have only strengthened my determination to keep moving ahead. I’ve always been driven to overcome obstacles and channel them into my creative work, and I’m at a place where I realized the struggles or the faded characters of your past stories, don’t have to be the main part of the story. That ever present drive has been central to me as an artist. It keeps me curious, exploring new tools and mediums, and constantly evolving. No matter the setbacks, whether a certain publication won’t write about you, or people with better connections and means seem to move faster, staying committed to pushing the limits of what I can create is the only thing I can do about any of it. Also, being surrounded by talented, inspiring people has helped me stay focused on the future, reminding me that creativity is about progression and always finding ways to move forward.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I work across several mediums as a multidisciplinary artist and composer, focusing on creating immersive experiences that combine sound, technology, and physical spaces. My work involves everything from electro-acoustic compositions to site-specific installations that invite people to engage with sound in new and unexpected ways. I often incorporate unconventional tools, using technology to manipulate how people experience both auditory and visual elements in a space. I’m known for projects that blur the lines between art, sound, and technology, creating environments that are as thought-provoking as they are engaging.
My work pushes the boundaries of how sound, experience, space, and emotion interact in the body, and how that brings us together in communal collaboration. A highlight of my career was collaborating with Ellen Fullman, Sheryl Anaya, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra on The Language of Nature, where we explored the unique qualities of Ellen’s Long String Instrument. Ellen has been developing this instrument since the early 1980s; it spans around 70 feet, with strings stretched across the space that resonate like an immersive, giant organ. I began studying with Ellen in 2016, captivated by how the instrument creates complex overtones and a meditative sonic environment that transforms space and invites listeners to experience sound as though they were inside the instrument. This apprenticeship has been pivotal in shaping my work, and I now have my own Long String Instrument installed in my gallery space, New Media Contemporary, where I play daily as part of my ongoing practice and exploration. This project with Ellen embodied the immersive, multi-dimensional approach I aim for in my work.
What makes my work unique is how I blend new and old technologies to create experiences that transcend traditional art or music performances. My goal is to craft immersive, multi-dimensional spaces where sound and color reach beyond hearing or seeing to resonate physically and emotionally. Using sensory elements, I aim to draw people into an experience that is deeply absorbing, pushing the limits of how art can connect. I see technology not as a boundary but as a pathway to deeper, more meaningful connections through art.
At its core, my work is about challenging how we perceive and communicate with the world. Find new ways of pushing creative boundaries, using technology to deepen emotional connections rather than distance people from the art. I strive to create experiences that feel transformative; where color, sound, and space converge to create something deeply personal and evocative.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was always a quiet, introspective kid, deeply drawn to creativity. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting at the piano, improvising for hours. It was my happy place, where I felt most at peace despite a tough home life. Music quickly became a way for me to communicate when words didn’t feel like enough. Later on, I discovered the early internet, which opened up a whole new world of connection for me. I would spend hours talking to people from all over the globe, downloading their favorite albums, and working on websites for my family’s business.
I’ve always loved discovering new art, music, and design, often from different cultures and time periods. As a teen, I made mixtapes and walked for hours with my headphones on, just listening and exploring new sounds. School wasn’t really my thing, except for art and music classes where I excelled. I can still remember being asked to tune the entire orchestra in elementary school because of my strong pitch knowledge—that was a special moment for me.
Creativity has always been my driving force. I even covered my bedroom walls with a mural that served as a kind of personal journal, filled with references to the music I loved, dreams I had, and conversations with friends. In high school, I played in a band, and we’d put on guerrilla shows at an abandoned strip mall, with half the school showing up—along with the cops! But it was all in the spirit of creation and connection.
I think what shaped me the most was realizing early on that I communicated better through art and music than I ever could through conversation. I was happiest when I was alone, creating for hours, sometimes days. That inner drive to create is something that has always defined me.
Pricing:
- New Media Contemporary T-shirt: 25$
- New Media Contemporary Tote: 20$
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.newmediacontemporary.com/ & https://talambas.io/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newmediacontemporary & https://www.instagram.com/talambas.io
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewMediaContemporary/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talambas/
Image Credits
Walt Burns Aaron Wharton Stanton Stephens Christian Vasquez Paperlyte
