The Art of Sound
TobiasTill Kniola of Auf Abwegen has once again managed to contract some of the most interesting artists out there for his next Geräuschwelten-night. On October 7th, two legends of the Industrial world are gracing Münster, Westfalia, with their presence and their music.
First up, there's John Duncan. Duncan studied at CalArts and then moved to Europe, where he quickly gained insider fame with his Installations, Videos and Music. Some of his CDs, such as "The Crackling" (recorded with Max Springer at the SLAC site, which tried to discover a subatomic particle), "Palace of Mind" (with Giuliana Stefani, who is also responsible for all the photography of his works) and "Fresh" (with famous German Avantgarde ensemble Zeitkratzer) are already considered classics. Duncan has stated that the horror and nihilism of life and his research into these are the driving forces behind his art - which at first mainly involved shocking tactics and radical events: "Blind Date" saw Duncan first having sex with a female corpse (yes, a real female corpse!) and then having a vasectomy done afterwards (for a truly interesting article about the motivations for this, see our source below), others merely joining a horde of naked people in a pitchblack cellar. Like his installations, his music has changed its nature over the years, becoming deeper and if not concilliatory, more relaxed.
The second guest for the night will be Z'ev, who, like Duncan, is active in different disciplines. A percussionist, his works are essentially of a rhythmical nature, even though there is quite a lot of extra-musical activity going on. Spirituality plays an important role and to be more precise, Z'ev has made it his intention to "explain" aspects of the Kabala through his pieces. Apart from presenting this message live all over the world, he has also written books about it and released a staggering 40 records (or so) to date.
This pairing should make for an inspiring evening, so if you can, go see them at the Cuba, Münsters main source for creative and innovative (is there is such a thing) sounds.
Homepage: John Duncan
Homepage: Z'ev
Homepage: John Duncan and Z'ev at Auf Abwegen
Source: An article about John Duncan's "Blind Date"
Source: Biographical Information on John Duncan
Picture by Pietro Clarizia