60x60
60 Klangminiaturen zu je 60 Sekunden von 60 KomponistInnen

Mi, 14.12.2005, 19:30
Sammlung Essl - Galerie #5

Curated by Robert Voisey (New York)

Visuals by Shimpei Takeda (New York)

Letztes Jahr wurde im Internet ein Aufruf veröffentlicht, Werke mit einer Maximaldauer von 60 Sekunden für ein Konzertreihe und eine CD-Produktion mit aktuellster Musik einzureichen. Unzählige KomponistInnen haben sich an diesem Wettbewerb beteiligt, und aus den Einsendungen wurden 60 repräsentative Stücke ausgewählt. Diese bilden einen kompakten Querschnitt der internationalen Experimental- und Elektronikszene des Jahres 2004 - komprimiert auf die Dauer von exakt einer Stunde.

Composers

Mission

60x60 is a concert containing 60 compositions from 60 different composers, with each composition being 60 seconds or less in duration. These 60 recorded pieces are performed in succession without pause, one after another, creating a 1 hour concert. The performance is played in conjunction with a synchronized analog clock. At the top of each minute in the hour, the domain of space for the composer has begun. Composers who have written works less than 60 seconds are strategically and artistically placed within that minute; the remainder of the minute is filled with silence until the next minute begins. (Robert Voisey)

video still by Shimpei Takeda

Shimpei Takeda's photographs capture various naturally occurring abstractions of everyday life. Through his work, random exteriors and ordinary objects find a new context. By photographing through existing filters and distortions, Takeda has stumbled upon a previously hidden viewpoint. A street scene viewed through a stained glass panel, a neon lit doorway, a lamp lighting a drink in a bar, all find an otherworldly quality when observed through Takeda's lens and help us to see the subtle and mysterious beauty of the world around us. Beauty that is otherwise overlooked.

Takeda uses analog techniques with ditigal cameras. The monitor allows him to pre-visualize his pictures, giving him greater compositional freedom, as well as letting him see the subtleties that are often lost in film. His effects are achieved by manually controlling exposure and camera movement. He doesn't alter his work using computer manipulation, as is so often the case in modern photography.

The inspiration for these photographs came from several key sources. Graphic artists, such as Tomato, John Maeda and Stenberg Brothers, all inspired his work. He was also influenced by the 1999 LOMO photo exhibition in Tokyo. His first cameras were gifts from his grandfather, a former photographer. His father, a graphic designer named him after his favorite photographer, Shimpei Asai.

Shimpei Takeda is a young Japanese artist. He currently lives in New York City, where he continues to pursue both photography and film.

Press

"If you get bored quickly or have A.D.D., 60x60 features 60 back-to-back pieces that are each under 60 seconds long, each by a different modern composer. 60-second abstract silent films accompany many of the works. It's like channel surfing through experimental music-and its all over in an hour or less." - Geeta Dayal, Village Voice March 16-22, 2005 Vol. L NO. 11

"Not since John Cage's "Indeterminacy" has the flow of time from one minute to the next been so significant. " - Doug Cohen

"Andy Warhol gave us fifteen minutes to bask in glory, but Rob Voisey has cut to the chase: state your case in 60 seconds or less. I love the 60 x 60 project and have encouraged my friends and colleagues to join in its celebration of compact clarity. 60 x 60 is a musical equivalent of having someone stick a microphone into your face at a party. Do you have something to say? If so, then say it now, and be quick about it. It isn't often that we have the opportunity to confront our angels and demons head on." - Noah Creshevsky