VUCA, which stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity, is an art collective based out of Milwaukee, WI. The first project within the experimental art collective is called The Geometry of Lies and is an immersive alternate reality concept album, featuring a novel, album, and Augmented Reality (AR) experiences. The idea for this immersive album came to be during the thick of quarantine in 2020, when the backstory of the songs started to blend into chapters of a novel. Over thirty artists have worked on this project, and they partnered Drops - an AR startup out of NYC, to bring the experience to life. With the release of the collective’s new singles, ‘Shine’ and ‘Glamour',’ listeners can really dive into the story that VUCA has created. ‘Shine’ was featured at the Planned Parenthood of WI at their annual event to support this year's theme of "Be Visible,” marking the second time the collective has partnered with the organization. Read on in our interview with VUCA to learn about their creative process, the artists they have collaborated with, and their new singles.

Where are you based?
We are based in Milwaukee, WI.

How did you get interested in music and art?
My mother was a visual artist; so, I grew up around a wide array of artists and musicians — several of whom were influential. Although my childhood was a rich place creatively, it also scared me off art. Most of the people in her circle were struggling with making their lives work or actively in the throes of addiction. I told myself the story that artists starve. It took me decades to finally get over myself, and that fear, and start creating.

What does VUCA stand for, and why is this significant to you?
VUCA is a term first coined in the 80s to describe the shifting landscape of war. It stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. When I began putting my first songs together, I named my music folder VUCA, as it summed up my artistic process brilliantly. Now that I have worked with dozens of other artists, I realize that all of us struggle with different aspects of VUCA. Some artists burn out fast and young, as they aren’t able to manage their volatility. This was my mom. For me, I am a complexity junky. I couldn’t put out an LP. Oh no. It needed to write a companion novel and start building Augmented Reality experiences to go with it. As for the others, the uncertain artists rarely produce anything for audiences to see — which is a crying shame. The ambiguous artists tend to float away, but you know it would be epic if they could just ground themselves for a minute.

VUCA is an experimental art collective — whose first project, The Geometry of Lies, is an immersive alternate reality concept album, featuring a novel, album, and AR experiences. Can you explain how this works? How did this come about?
During quarantine in 2020, I started taking long walks with my husband, Jeff. We were living in Northern Wisconsin with virtually no neighbors. During these walks, I would tell him about the backstory to the songs I was working on. These stories went way past liner notes. It was a universe. Jeff is an accomplished writer and film director. He knew a good story when he heard it. He encouraged me to start writing the novel. Soon enough, each chapter became a song. The lead character in each chapter was based on my songwriting partner. That was where the collective started. To date, over thirty artists have worked on this project. As for the Augmented Reality work, we have partnered with Drops — an AR startup out of NYC. So far, three of our songs have AR experiences available. The AR is in service of our larger story. We want people to be able to get a window into the larger universe.

I know your album has been inspired by greek mythology, could you tell us a little bit about why that was so influential for you?
I believe we live in an age devoid of myth and rich in distraction. Myths are shared dreams. They help us make sense of our triumphs and failures. I needed something to inspire me - to be a companion - during the collective heartbreak of 2020.

Trying to make sense of the horror in 2020, I found myself thinking a lot about Ancient Greek religion, as it is one of the only theistic traditions that has a really compelling answer for why we suffer. The gods are capricious. Full stop.

I also found it fascinating that the Ancient Greeks were never settled on whether Hope was a good or bad thing. She was left in Pandora’s box after all the other ills had escaped. Is it a good thing to have Hope in the face of devastation? What does that mean for us now?

You recently released a new song “Glamour”. Can you please tell us a bit about this song? What do you hope your fans get from listening?
Glamour is sung from the perspective of the story’s antagonist, David Manna, who is played by my friend, co-writer, and collaborator Davey Harris. In the story, David is a sex addict who uses the ancient art of Glamour to render his victims defenseless. The song can be seen as a commentary on the surface-level world of social media and dating apps, where predators roam freely and almost without penalty. In this story, we get a glimpse behind the curtain to see how the magic is worked.

Jejune loves your new song “Shine”. Can you tell us a bit about this song, and what inspired it?
Shine was written during a very dark time for me. Five years ago, I lost my mother and sister within six months of each other. I had struggled processing the grief, as both relationships were complicated for me. In 2019, I met Barbara Stephan through a mutual friend. We had a great, almost instant, connection over the phone. We decided to meet in person and give writing together a shot. When I sat down at the coffee shop, I just stared at Barbara. Happily, she was carrying the conversation. Slowly I pulled out my phone and showed her a picture. “How do you have a picture of me?” she asked. I didn’t. Barbara looked just like my sister who had passed. I knew the universe had sent me the right partner for this song. We wrote Shine in an hour. It was a magical session. We then worked with producers Dave Olson and later Greg Papania to get the song where it is today. Greg introduced us to the amazing Trans Chorus of Los Angeles and Usen Isong, who is an absolute gem of a human. As far as I’m concerned, the song Shine is a work of pure magic.

It is great that you partnered with the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles to create “Shine”. Can you tell us about this experience and why this was an important part of creating the song?
The Geometry of Lies revolves around the story of Jackie Milam, a Black, non-binary tech entrepreneur. To capture Jackie’s perspective, we needed artists who could embody and represent their spirit. When I saw the work that the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles had done with recording artist Maggie Szabo in Don’t Give Up, I got full body chills. I knew we had found our perfect partners.

We love that Planned Parenthood of WI featured “Shine” as part of their annual event with an AR experience of the song, supporting this year's theme of "Be Visible.” How did this come to be? Was this your hope when creating the song?
As an artist, this is my second time partnering with Planned Parenthood of WI. In 2016, we worked with PPoW and Planned Parenthood Federation of America on a Virtual Reality project, Across the Line, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. In both cases, we were invited in by PPoW’s Chief Philanthropy Officer, Linda Neff, who has been a tireless advocate for the arts in addition to her important day job. I had shared Shine with Linda, as a friend. I never imagined that it would play such a vital role in this year’s campaign.

As an art collective, how do you feel music and art has been impacted by covid?
Over the last three years, I have been at the center of seeing how thirty artists are doing on the frontlines of the music industry. In many ways, Covid exasperated problems that have long been systemic within the industry. With the loss of touring and gigging revenue, almost all working class artists were put in dire financial situations. Although there were some grants and relief programs available, I know three artists who became homeless during quarantine. The financial repercussions were only one aspect too. Mental health was also a key concern as several members were dealing with losses in their immediate families and close friends. Just in our circle, there were five deaths of close relatives. One artist lost both his mother and father in the summer of 2020. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that we have had each other during this time.

How did you stay positive during shelter in place? Are you back to normal?
During quarantine, I either wrote music or the novel between 8-16 hours a day. Beyond caring for our two teenage daughters, I was on the phone or Zoom with the artists and taking up to five mile walks in Northern Wisconsin with Jeff. My natural setting is positivity. I can find the pony in the biggest pile of manure. That said, Covid tested me and my resilience.

We are back to normal, mostly. Most of the artists are gigging. One just completed a fairly profitable tour. It is hard to stay as focused as I did during quarantine, but thankfully the project continues to roll along.

What is your motto in life?
“Where there is a will, there is a way.” Followed closely by, “How hard can it be?” (Umm… really, really hard. I’ve learned that lesson repeatedly and keep falling for it.)

If you love VUCA as much as we do, please follow them at the links below:
Instagram: @thevuca
Spotify: VUCA

VUCA On The New Immersive Album - 'The Geometry of Lies'