The Gift: Redaction and Decontamination - Performance by Slave Pianos at MUMA
The Gift: Redaction and Decontamination
Performance by Slave Pianos at Monash University Museum of Art | MUMA
Slave Pianos with Richard Piper, 'The Gift: Redaction and Decontamination', 2011. Photo: Andrius Lipšys
MUMA presents a performance by Slave Pianos on the final day of the acclaimed exhibition Slave Pianos | Punkasila | Pipeline to Oblivion: 3 Projects by Danius Kesminas and Collaborators.
Slave Pianos is a provocative and highly inventive collective of artists, composers and musicians devoted to the exhibition, collection, analysis, performance and re-composition of sound work by visual artists.
The closing day performance The Gift: Redaction and Decontamination will combine theatre, music and art to activate elements of the exhibition including a parlour-grand piano suspended in an electric chair. Building on the installation work The execution protocol 2007-11 and incorporating texts by Joanna Murray-Smith, Julian Barnes and John C. Welchman, The Gift: Redaction and Decontamination will feature actor Richard Piper, an electrically charged tesla coil and members of Slave Pianos in an execution and ultra-reduction of the musical works of the avant-garde.
The exhibition Slave Pianos | Punkasila | Pipeline to Oblivion will then be ceremoniously closed with tastings from the Pipeline to Oblivion vodka still, and traditional Lithuanian catering and folk music.
Slave Pianos was founded in 1998 by Rohan Drape, Neil Kelly, Danius Kesminas and Michael Stevenson, and including Dave Nelson, Slave Pianos investigate and recontextualise artists’ music projects through the process of transcription, re-enactment and creative appropriation.
Slave Pianos’ work has been performed by Arditti String Quartet, Michael Kieran Harvey, Flux String Quartet, Krasnyi String Quartet, and the Royal Australian Navy Band. Slave Pianos has written multiform acoustical theatre works which have been performed by Chamber Made Opera (Australia), Astra Chamber Music Society (Australia), Jauna Muzika (Lithuania), Barney McAll (USA). Their work was exhibited in the 17th Sydney Biennale 2010.
Richard Piper: Richard Piper is a British born actor with a distinguished theatrical career in England and Australia appearing in over 50 stage productions, television series’ and West End musicals. Most recently Richard has been critically acclaimed for his leading role in the Melbourne Theatre Company production The Gift.
Website: http://www.monash.edu.au/muma/exhibitions/kesminas.html
Date: Saturday 23 July 2011, 3.30 – 4.30pm
Venue: Monash University Museum of Art | MUMA, Ground Floor, Building F, Monash University, Caulfield Campus, 900 Dandenong Road, Caulfield East.
This event at MUMA is FREE. For enquiries please contact them via email muma@monash.edu.au or phone 9905 4217.
