Breckenridge International Festival of Arts
Bill Orisich is one of the featured artists in Breck Create’s signature annual festival, BIFA.
Exhibitions
Bill Orisich: Undercurrents
Blue River
August 20 – 23, 2026
Undercurrents, by Breckenridge-based artist Bill Orisich, is a site-specific sound installation on the banks of the Blue River. It explores the ebb and flow of thought, events, and histories that have shaped both the river and our lives along its course.
The work evokes a stream of consciousness, inviting reflection on how we connect to one another, to our social and working histories and to plants, animals and the natural world. It considers our cultural, political and environmental entanglements, as well as the transformations of the built environment over decades—our sense of loss, change, and disconnection.
The installation unfolds fluidly and energetically, weaving together musical instruments, spoken and sung voices, underwater sounds, and other sonic textures. The result is an immersive environment that evokes both place and impermanence. Six sound sources extend along a stretch of riverbank in the heart of Breckenridge’s Blue River Plaza. As visitors walk the trail along the river they encounter shifting sonic landscapes. Each sound source contributes distinct material, encouraging individual interpretation and unique experiences.
Artist Bill Orisich has been a regular contributor to BIFA over the last few years. His work explores his deep understanding of the power of nature and his passion for connecting people to the natural world in profound and engaging ways.
What Stories might the river tell if it could speak? Undercurrents imagines these conversations across time, offering a catalyst for us to reflect on our place, here and now.
ABOUT BILL ORISICH
Bill Orisich is a filmmaker, musician/sound artist, photographer based in Breckenridge, CO. His work ranges from sound art, films, and music, to multi-channel visual/audio installations. He is inspired by exploring the response a site and its history can evoke, especially the human/nature dichotomy. Research, experimentation, and collaboration are key elements in Bill’s work, as is the search for the tension, humor, and mystery contained therein.
Bill’s art work has been presented in numerous exhibits and film festivals, including the 5-channel collaborative video installation: ground loop, at Whitespace gallery in 2018; when I whistle, a 3-channel, site-specific installation at the historic Swan House in Atlanta in 2016; and horse drawn piano, a moving sound/sculptural performance piece for Flux Night, Atlanta in 2013. In 2023 Bill’s photographs have been in exhibitions at CPAC in Denver; projected in downtown Denver as part of photography month; In August he created a sound piece for the installation, Invisible Matters, in Rochester, NY; and has ongoing music projects.
His film production company Whoa! Films, has been creating award winning commercial, and educational videos for over 30 years. It serves as a creative hub and production resource for his art projects and a training ground for emerging media makers and musicians. He received his BA and MS degrees respectively in Fine Arts and Education/media design from Indiana University. He’s also taught animation as part of the National Endowment for the Arts Artist-In-Schools program, among other workshops.
Bill gets energy and inspiration from being active outdoors in the mountains.