Two University of Alabama programs, Sonic Frontiers and the Bankhead Visiting Writers Series, have teamed up for their first collaboration to provide the perfect event for students who possess a taste for music, literature and the unusual. The programs will host Jon Woodward and Oni Buchanan, poet and pianist, respectively, to perform Woodward’s poem “Uncanny Valley.”

“Uncanny Valley” is not a typical poem. Spoken in 16 parts and accompanied by various sounds, it is a piece that encompasses not only poetry, but also live music and haunting audio tracks to provide a presentation that students cannot experience anywhere else, said Andrew Raffo Dewar, New College assistant director of interdisciplinary arts and assistant director of Creative Campus.

“The piece is a creative interweaving of the speaking voice reading the poem, the live-performed piano and stimulating electronic effects,” Dewar said. “It sounds very interesting, like walking through a labyrinth of echoes with a curious friend who won’t stop talking about fascinating things, accompanied by a solo piano soundtrack.”

The goal of the collaboration is to provide students and the local community with free entertainment that encompasses several facets of the arts. The nature of the piece is such that everyone can learn something from it, Dewar said.

“The objective of this event is to present a cutting edge creative work that combines poetry, music and live electronics and to give UA and the broader Tuscaloosa community the opportunity to engage with and ask questions of the performers,” Dewar said.

Sonic Frontiers and the Bankhead Visiting Writers Series hope to provide free entertainment for the community and to engage it in collaborative thought and discussion. Laura Kochman, assistant to the director of the creative writing program, said this type of collaborative thinking is an important aspect to both college and life experiences.

“Interdisciplinary and artistic thinking enrich both the University experience and experience in general,” Kochman said. “Interdisciplinary and collaborative work is an important part of a college campus, and it’s also where some of the most interesting and exciting art comes from.”

Although this event is firmly rooted in the arts, Dewar and Kochman said there are aspects that will appeal to everyone because having a background in music or literature is not necessary to enjoy the performance or take something away from it.

“Although this event has particular interest for people with a background in music or literature, anyone with an interest in experiencing art will enjoy the performance,” Kochman said. “This work is interested in larger ideas like mechanics and conversation, communication between models of thinking and various participants.”

“Uncanny Valley” will take place Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Moody Music Building Recital Hall. Admission is free and open to the public.