June 2011
8 posts
THE UNFINISHED FILM: JUNE 24-JULY 29 →
gladstonegallery.com
“What can be learned from unfinished films, from works that arrive to us as fragments? Considered collectively—from Erich von Stroheim’s Queen Kelly to Sergei Eisenstein’s Que Viva Mexico! to Orson Welles’s The Other Side of the Wind and beyond—perhaps they constitute a secret canon, the most raw and, in turn, revealing sides of an artist’s practice. Included in the show are projects that are intentionally unfinished as well as those abandoned out of frustration, halted by dwindling resources, cut short by death, or curtailed by political circumstance. Representing cinema in a wide range of intermediary states, these are works that unveil the particularities of their origins, lay bare the vicissitudes of their process and production.”
“What can be learned from unfinished films, from works that arrive to us as fragments? Considered collectively—from Erich von Stroheim’s Queen Kelly to Sergei Eisenstein’s Que Viva Mexico! to Orson Welles’s The Other Side of the Wind and beyond—perhaps they constitute a secret canon, the most raw and, in turn, revealing sides of an artist’s practice. Included in the show are projects that are intentionally unfinished as well as those abandoned out of frustration, halted by dwindling resources, cut short by death, or curtailed by political circumstance. Representing cinema in a wide range of intermediary states, these are works that unveil the particularities of their origins, lay bare the vicissitudes of their process and production.”
Gladstone Gallery, fresh off their excellent Jack Smith show, present this collection of films and ephemera curated by Thomas Beard, who is runs Light Industry with Ed Halter. There’s work here by Pasolini, Warhol, Anger, Brakhage, Deren, and many other heavy hitters…should be a great way to escape New York City humidity for hours at a time.
McCartney II: Paul McCartney Interviewed By Other Artists →
thequietus.com
I am wigging out hard after hearing McCartney II for the first time thanks to its recent reissue. This article features one of my favorite things, which is musicians getting nerdy about pivotal records in their lives…wish it was twice as long!
I am wigging out hard after hearing McCartney II for the first time thanks to its recent reissue. This article features one of my favorite things, which is musicians getting nerdy about pivotal records in their lives…wish it was twice as long!
STEPHAN MATHIEU- "REVENANT" (BY TOSHI WADA)
Thrilling for me to see Mathieu perform this word premiere with just (I think) e-bow and a phonoharp—and also charming to watch how different people experience the piece. I am familiar with the “sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, intensely focused” look.
12 June 2011
Oren Ambarchi & Charlemagne Palestine
OREN AMBARCHI & CHARLEMAGNE PALESTINE- LIVE AT MELBOURNE TOWN HALL, JUNE 12, 2011
OREN AMBARCHI & CHARLEMAGNE PALESTINE- LIVE AT MELBOURNE TOWN HALL, JUNE 12, 2011
I’ve been a huge fan of Oren Ambarchi since first coming across his work a few years ago. His solo sets are masterclasses of pure tonal drone. Playing his guitar through an array of pedals and out of twin Sunn amplifiers, he produces a kind of blissful levitation every time I’ve seen him live.
So when I saw him play with Charlemagne Palestine at the Overground Festival (part of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival) the combination seemed an inspired one. Palestine is a minimalist composer hailing from Brooklyn and his ritualistic compositions are marked by an intensity that serves as a powerful counterpoint to Ambarchi’s drone.
When I saw them play together, Ambarchi was playing with his usual set-up, whilst Palestine was positioned at the gorgeous Melbourne Town Hall organ, adorned with his usual stuffed toy animals. The piece begins incredibly quietly, with only one or two valves of the great organ open, until it builds to a steady, head whirling sustain, the organ’s bellow seemingly inside my brain and Ambarchi’s bass tones driven right through my stomach.
Recorded at the Overground 2011 festival, 12 June 2011 @melbourne Town Hall. Oren Ambarchi on guitar and pedals, Charlemagne Palestine on Melbourne Town Hall organ. Photo by Leah Robertson. I hold no copyright in this material.
This starts off very quiet but builds to a dissonant, scraping drone pretty quickly. Ambarchi is tough to hear at times, but overall I’m grateful this recording exists and it spurred me to think that future collaborations between these two would be an obvious and outstanding piece of Touch’s Spire events and recordings. Download can be found here.
TRIPTYCH: THE MUSIC OF ELIANE RADIGUE
JUNE 12-26
Christ Church Spitalfields, St. Stephen’s Walbrook, Cafe Oto, Rich Mix and Watermans, London
I’m awfully jealous of all Londoners (and beyond) who get to experience this festival celebrating Eliane Radigue’s music beginning on Friday. Her long-form, deeply meditative pieces will be presented over eight nights of performances in addition to other discussions and installations around the city—the “Sonic_Beds” that collaborator Kaffe Matthews has constructed seem like a marvelous way to experience Radigue’s music:
If you’re unfamiliar with her work, watch the five-minute clip above that goes into detail about the event and offers small pieces of her body of work.
