Meara O’Reilly

Meara O’Reilly is a sound artist and educator, most recently in residence at the Exploratorium. She is currently the creating the Rhythm Necklace app in collaboration with Sam Tarakajian, a musical sequencer that uses two-dimensional geometry to create rhythm.

She is the author of Illusion Songs, an online collection of auditory illusions as found in indigenous folk music traditions. in 2013 she contributed to the Song Reader issue of Pop-Up Magazine and completed her first permanent exhibit at the Exploratorium, entitled Chladni Singing. Her collaboration with design firm Snibbe Interactive on sound-based ‘cymatic’ concert visuals for Björk’s Biophilia album was included in the world tour.

Selected past performances include Davies Symphony Hall, SFMOMA, the Berkeley Art Museum, Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in New York, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, opening for artists such as Beck, Kronos Quartet, Laurie Anderson, Lucky Dragons, Dirty Projectors, Deerhoof, Michael Hurley, Bill Callahan, Matmos, and Dinosaur Jr. She toured internationally as a solo musician and in the bands Feathers and Brightblack Morning Light.

In addition to performing and designing installations, Meara has co-curated content and taught at San Francisco children’s camp A Curious Summer, and written for Make Magazine, Boingboing, and the SFMoma’s Open Space Blog.

Meara was a member of the Trout Gulch land project where she built a tiny house with her partner. She currently lives in San Francisco.