January 2008
Hello
Welcome to the New Year, the International Year of Planet Earth, the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue and in Australia the Year of the Scout!
2007 closed with ill health for me, an unfortunate accident with a bicycle in the dark left me bruised, cut, limping and still in severe back pain, whilst a nasty flu took hold of me and much of London for the festive period, so I look forward to 2008 with optimism and more reasons to swim, exercise and look after myself than ever before.
The death of German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen in December was a strange situation personally too. An email from my friend Ed, via Suzanne Stephens and Kathinka Pasveer, who took care of his scores, CDs, books, films, flowers, shrubs and trees, informed me of his death, a response to which I posted on Facebook. Less than 30 seconds later the BBC telephoned me requesting confirmation of this, then BBC TV news, then BBC Radio 4, and within the hour I was at the BBC newsroom commenting on his death, extremely unprepared and unrehearsed for such an encounter. It seems that in sharing this information I had ‘broken’ the news of his death, which still seems surreal to me.
Curiously for me I still treasure a signed set of CDs Herr Stockhausen mailed me some years ago after the Wire and the BBC had presented a series, ‘The Technocrats’ which examined Stockhausen’s musical legacy. Entitled Advice to Clever Children you still read this online for some modest amusement. I was especially struck by his suggestion for me to be ‘more like an apple on the moon.’ See you there soon I’m sure.
December was happily a little less crazy for me – trips to Parma to perform at Lenz Rifrazioni and then to Bucharest in Romania to present my work for AVmotional at the Orange Concept Store, and then out to the deserts of El Paso Texas, where I was fortunate enough to disappear into the mountains and to visit White Sands, one of the world's great natural wonders. Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin are the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Here, great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and created the world's largest gypsum dune field. As far as your eye can see is miles and miles of pure white sand with the occasional American Stealth Bomber flying over, part of the Missile Range next door!
Back to work and a recent micro film collaboration with Dutch video artist Olga Mink can be seen here. Entitled Landscape it was which was recently shown at Maffiafestival, De Balie Amsterdam 2007. We are currently developing an extended work to be toured in 2008-2009.
In the dangerous and heady world of rock and roll of Githead we’ve been setting up European concert dates for 2008, with several already confirmed in Amsterdam, Cologne, Paris and Belgium in February. In the meanwhile too Renat Ziegermann shot footage at the soundcheck and during the gig at Bar Music Hall, London in June and made a video entitled Profile. Also newly featured is on that page is a link to a witty video interview with Malka & Colin made by Mike Robinson of Eastwood Guitars.
All Scanner and Githead releases are now available for download exclusively through and will remain so even when their physical formats have sold out. In addition my entire back catalogue will shortly be available via eMusic, Amazon and countless other locations so keep your ears peeled and your credit card handy.
So it only leaves me to wish you a positive and wonderful 2008 and hope to see many of you very soon.
Affectionately
Robin
::: listen :::
Cat Power: Jukebox (Matador)
Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians (Innova)
Tom Yorke: The Eraser Remixes (XL Recordings)
Clark: Throttle Promoter (Warp)
::: read :::
Non-Format: Love Song (Die Gestalten Verlag)
Miranda July & Harrell Fletcher: Learning to Love You More ( Prestel)
Charles Burns: Black Hole (Pantheon)
Steven Pinker: The
Stuff of Thought (Penguin)
::: film:::
Interview, Steve Buscemi, USA
Throbbing Gristle: TGV 7 DVD set
Art School Confidential, Terry Zwigoff, USA
The Bridge, Eric Steel, USA
::: diary dates :::
2008
25 Jan-Mariam dance Theatre Aragon d’Orly FR
28-29 Jan-Workshops Istituto Europeo di Design Milan IT
30 Jan-Kirikou & Karaba Isle D'Espagnac FR
31 Jan-Faultline dance The Point Eastleigh UK
01 Feb-Play Along
with Jean-Paul Dessy Turin IT
02 Feb-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith D'Orleans FR
02 Feb-Faultline The Empire British Dance Edition UK
03 Feb-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith Limoges FR
05 Feb-Dancers' Cut Artrix Bromsgrove UK
05 Feb-Githead Paradiso Amsterdam NL
06 Feb-Githead Blue Shell Cologne DE
06 Feb-Kirikou
& Karaba Le Musikhall Rennes FR
07 Feb-Githead 4AD
Diksmuide BE
08 Feb-Githead Netwerk
Aalst BE
08 Feb-Dancers' Cut Town Hall Swindon UK
09 Feb-Githead Mains d'Oeuvre
Paris FR
09-10 Feb-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith Nantes Metropole St Herblain FR
12 Feb-Mariam dance Theatre Astree de Villeurbanne
FR
13 Feb-Dancers' Cut Guildhall Arts Centre Grantham UK
16 Feb-Night Haunts, Stockholm SE
21 Feb-Faultline dance Contact Theatre Manchester UK
27 Feb-Kirikou & Karaba Vinci Tours FR
01 March-Kirikou & Karaba Ampithea 4000 Angers FR
02 March-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith Rouen FR
05 March-Kirikou
& Karaba Docks Oceane Le Havre FR
07 March-Dancers Cut Guildhall Arts Centre UK
09 March-Kirikou & Karaba Le Zenith Caen FR
13 March-Dancers' Cut Leap Festival Liverpool UK
13 March-Lecture Academy of Architecture
Amsterdam NL
16 March-Kirikou & Karaba Antares Le Mans FR
20 March-Faultline dance
Peepel Centre Leicester UK
22 March-Kirikou & Karaba Galaxie Amneville FR
26 March-Kirikou & Karaba Le Zenith Nancy FR
27 March-Dancers' Cut Deda Derby UK
29-30 March-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith Arean Lille FR
10 April-Faultline dance Junction Cambridge UK
19 April-Kirikou & Karaba Arena de Geneve
CH
23 April-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith de Strasbourg FR
24 April-Dancers' Cut Bridgwater Arts Centre Devon UK
30 April-Kirikou & Karaba Palais Nikaia Nice FR
14 May-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith de Dijon FR
17 May-Kirikou & Karaba Summum Grenoble FR
24 May-Kirikou & Karaba Le Dome Marseille FR
28 May-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith Sud Montpelier FR
01 June-Kirikou & Karaba Zenith D’Auvergne Toulouse FR
04 June-Kirikou & Karaba Le Zenith Toulouse FR
07 June-Kirikou & Karaba Patinoire Meriadeck Bordeaux FR
11 June-Kirikou & Karaba Le Zenith Pau FR
15 June-Kirikou & Karaba Parc des Expositions Langolvas Morlaix FR
2009
07 March-Royce Hall UCLA with Manuel Gottsching LA USA
Exhibitions
Night Haunts
By Sukhdev Sandhu
Design Mind Unit
Sound Design Scanner
Artangel Interaction invited writer and historian Sukhdev Sandhu to write a nocturnal journal unfolding over the course of 2006. His postings will appear sequentially at this microsite specially designed by Mind
Unit. Sandhu's forays see him prospecting in the London night with the people who drive its pulse, from the avian police to security guards, zookeepers and exorcists. Acclaimed artist and musician Scanner has collaborated with Sukhdev and Ian Budden of Mind Unit to compose the sound for the site.
An exposition about the reactivation of the paranormal in contemporary art, especially the recurring interest of artists in forms of possible communication
with "other worlds" via electronic media. Scanner presents 'Breakthrough,' a work that uses recordings from highly amplified recordings of empty haunted spaces, to demonstrate the redundant and undesired flotsam and jetsam of environmental acoustic space, and the 'ghosts' of our natural world.
www.nighthaunts.org.uk
www.artangel.org.uk
Bittersweet Songs for the Sleepless City
Artangel Interaction
NightJam is the latest project in Artangel Interaction’s Nights of London series of artist-led collaborations with people who have a special view on a hidden side of the
nocturnal city. Scanner invited young people at New Horizon Youth Centre in King’s Cross to collaborate on a creative project that expresses how the city at night looks and sounds to their ears and eyes. Through music and voice workshops they explored the sense of freedom and fear, celebration and solitude of the concealing darkness. Meanwhile, they captured their nights on disposable cameras, taking images that are at times eerie, startling, contemplative
and funny. NightJam presents two elusive visual and musical journeys through the city’s ‘quiet’ hours.
NightJam presents two music tracks, a film, photographs, that can be experienced and freely downloaded. A limited edition CD is also being distributed for free through the website. Now featuring remixes of NightJam by Stephen Vitiello, Hakan Lidbo, Troy Banarzi, Si-cut.db and Pete Lockett.
www.nightjam.org.uk