John Also Bennett

2012-01-14T02:27:00.000-05:00

I've been recently granted a pulse laser residency by the New York Center for the Holographic Arts. This Spring I'll have access to their pulse laser, allowing me to create full size holographic images - like this portrait of Ronald Reagan.

2012-01-12T17:27:00.011-05:00

In 2011 I worked with South Korean new media artist Doo-Sung Yoo as sound designer for his Vishtauroborg project. It involved creating an interactive sound palette which to be manipulated in real time by the motions of the dancer and his or her mechanical extensions. The machine also generates artificial speech. Full documentation and sound clips will be posted soon.

2011-12-20T21:01:00.000-05:00

New Slime City Meltdown by Slime Detective

Full album available January 2012 on Total Reality / SB CRYPT.

"The debut album from Brooklyn / Ohio muck sleuths Slime Detective will ooze from your speakers and reduce your brain to a bubbling puddle of green gunk. Cover Artwork by John Malta."

2011-12-06T19:16:00.000-05:00

Listen to this sample clip from the upcoming Seabat release entitled "Crescent Parc", to be released early 2012.

2011-12-06T18:20:00.001-05:00

Two tracks from the upcoming Seabat album Mountains of Palawan, out early 2012 on Goldtimers.

2011-12-06T17:04:00.001-05:00

OSCILOT / NEXXXUS from Forest Christenson on Vimeo.

A remix of a Nexxus (an occasionally surfacing solo synthesiser project of my own) recording called London done by Oscilot.

2011-11-26T17:02:00.001-05:00

A collage of sounds recorded at the Occupy Wall Street November 17th "Day of Action" protests in New York. All sounds were recorded on an iPhone using its built in microphone.

Highlights include the arrest of former Philadelphia police captain Ray Lewis, a four generation "peoples mic" spanning four street corners around the corner from the NYSE (as well as some that didn't make it so far), "Fuck the NYPD" chants, audio from the enormous rally at foley square and numerous other chants, slogans, angry protesters and people just trying to squeeze through the massive crowds to get to work.

No sounds were modified in any way other than being arranged out of chronological order and in some cases layered on top of each other.

2011-11-17T16:24:00.000-05:00

Robert Smithson Poster Lying on the Ground

Digital Image, 2011

2011-11-11T20:40:00.000-05:00

A track from the forthcoming Slime Detective debut album "New Slime City Meltdown", to be released on Total Reality International in early 2012.

Nexxus - London (JAB solo synth project)

Played Saxophone on:
Sinkane - Sinkane (Emergency Umbrella, 2009)

"Ahmed Gallab (Sinkane) is not just a drummer for the indie elite (Caribou, of Montreal, Born Ruffians) but he's also a mastermind behind the psychedelic music of his solo project. His third, self-titled release is part one of a two album series starting where last year's Color Voice left off. A stream-of-consciousness, purposefully rough around the edges record. More cohesive and structured than Color Voice, filled with African blues guitar, kraut rock rhythms, free jazz horns, and a Spacemen 3-esque ambience. Sinkane is a swami, psychedelic journey full of drones, repetition, and bombastic percussion."

Sword Heaven - Gone (Load Records, 2010)

From Load - Columbus, OH two-piece horror sound unit, Sword Heaven clock in with a sweaty waterboarded masterpice of clausterphobic proportions. Fun house mirrors and stretched out faces yell from behind flaming curtains while a neanderthal cave bat clubs your dome over and over and over. These are the sounds - the kids are not all right and that is all right.

With just drums and looped vocals and samples, the train slowly leaves the station. The filthy sounds produced are both a joyous middle finger to the sky and noisy dirge. Through the thick fog of long songs, the rock is chipped away and a new Stonehenge is formed, so that you are free to take all of your clothes off and sacrafice all the animals in the valley.

This release was recorded at Columbus Discount Studios and is in fact the first “studio” recording by the band. The drums sing, the vokills speak and the fear is so thick in the air it will fill your nacho. Believe this - so say we all.

Here's an mp3 of "Dead End".

Buy the album from LOAD here.

ExiTrip

2011-10-24T12:30:00.000-04:00

From Ed Bear and Lea Bertucci of Exitrip:

John Also Bennett
has been working with the ExiTrip in the context of a public sound installation. Hidden in a ubiquitous road cone, in one of the most hectic and congested intersections of Columbus OH, his ExiTrip will broadcast soothing, meditative sounds to unwitting drivers who happen to have their radios tuned to particular stations. His project concerns displacing psychological space through sound, and references the original use of the ExiTrip as an in-car transmitter. We worked with him to build an RF amplifier using components harvested from old VCR's that Ed had lying around the studio.

Human Faces

2011-07-21T02:58:00.000-04:00

Human Faces is now online

Slime Detective - Another Brick in the Slime

2011-04-15T12:16:00.001-04:00

Slime Detective - Another Brick in the Slime by John Also Bennett

2011-03-21T17:11:00.001-04:00

John Also Bennett
Penetration
White light viewable reflection hologram and sound installation.

On exhibit at Plug, the Winter Art and Technology exhibition at the Ohio State University.

No Wake

2011-03-18T17:19:00.000-04:00

Only a few copies left of the new Seabat cassette. Get them from me in person, or from Permanent Records. The good news is, that the album is now available on our bandcamp.

"Hyperdelic's fifth release introduces the project Seabat. This full length composition evokes an airy blissful feel with far out synth notes and rich dollops of texture and metallic patterns. What begins as a soft mellow glow comes into full fruition with upbeat rhythms, haunted dream vocals, and atmospheric chirps. Its astoundingly climatic, a real beautiful piece that's deeply appetizing. Only 50 copies pressed = won't be available for long." - Permanent Records

BeBeBe at Marotta Hour Thursday

2011-03-15T17:58:00.000-04:00

The Bennett family trio is performing again this Thursday at the OSU Urban Arts Space (50 W. Town Street, Columbus, OH.)

From the OSU Urban Arts Space:

BeBeBe is a Columbus-based collaboration between brothers Ben Bennett (percussion) and John Also Bennett (synthesizer, percussion) with father John M. Bennett (vocals).

John M. Bennett has published over 300 books and chapbooks of poetry and other materials. He has published, exhibited and performed his word art worldwide in thousands of publications and venues.

John Also Bennett is an artist who works with sound, holography, video, social practice and installation. He also curates the Skylab Gallery.

Ben Bennett is a minimalist percussionist who has participated in several national tours. His performances contain elements of absurdity, with self-constructed instruments consisting of membranes, reeds and objects manipulated to produce unusual sounds.

About Marotta Hour
Marotta Hour is an electro-acoustic music series featuring unexpected sounds from free jazz to electronic to free-form improvisation. Come hear some of the most cutting-edge musicians and composers from Columbus and beyond.

Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven publication now online

2011-02-26T16:57:00.000-05:00

The publication for Bureau for Open Culture exhibition Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven is now available online. I threw the after-party for the exhibition reception at Skylab Gallery (see 'Seven Dreams'), and was one of the performers in Ben Kinsley's paranormal concert series Calling Occupants. This is a good read, out loud.

Open publication - Free publishing - More art

Seabat - No Wake now available on Hyperdelic

2011-02-25T13:35:00.000-05:00

Seabat is the musical collaboration of myself and Forest Christenson.

Hyperdelic is the new label from Dan Smith, the creator of Neon Blossom Records and the co-creator of the Neon Marshmallow Fest.

HYPERDELIC 005: Seabat No Wake c65

The debut release from the Ohio/NY project Seabat. This is a polyphonic madhouse. Huge chord progressions surrounded by a sea of light and precise filtering. Notes twinkle in their own zones on this one. Hidden beats and rhythmic patterns sputter along. This is long player, but does not feel so. If you light up and listen to this, consider your mind blown. Wear headphones for you listening pleasures. This is limited to 50 copies on completely clear cassettes with full color J-Cards and an additional insert from the artist.

Seabat - If God Was Also a Triangle by John Also Bennett
Seabat - Let Everything That's Been Planned Come True by John Also Bennett

All cassettes are:
-professionally duplicated
-hi bias chrome
-label on A side | on shell printing B side

To order -
$7 US | $8 CAN. | $10 International
Paypal: dangerousdsmith@yahoo.com

Visit Hyperdelic for more info and more great new releases.

Nexus - London

2011-02-22T00:07:00.000-05:00

Nexus - London by John Also Bennett

A new smooth one. More awaiting release.

Nexus 2.25.11 in Chicago

2011-02-13T14:45:00.000-05:00

February 25th, 2011 at the Glowsticks Space in Chicago with Sky Limousine and Sunglasses.

Calling Occupants

2011-02-11T02:43:00.000-05:00

A series of musical performances are staged for the purpose of charging the energy of a hand-blown glass vessel. The initial charging took place in the form of a group chant lead by Ben Kinsley and the psychic Larry Copeland. Drawing on the universal language of music, the subsequent rechargings occur through these performances.

Feb. 4 @ 7pm: John Also Bennett *analog, electrified, ambient soundscape*

Feb. 11 @ 7pm: Ryan Jewell *an hour-long, continuous, acoustic drone*

Feb. 18 @ 7pm: Shawn Campbell *free form, solo percussion*

Feb. 25 @ 7pm: Barry Chern & Friends *American roots music*

Mar. 4 @ 7pm: Kiana Alarid (of Tilly & the Wall) *ancient mantras + intuitive, resonant vocalizations*

Mar. 11 @ 7pm: Denouement *discussion of finding w/ psychic Larry Copeland

Produced by Bureau for Open Culture and Columbus College of Art & Design for the exhibition SEVENTH DREAM OF TEENAGE HEAVEN.

Nexus 2.11.11 at Skylab with Mark McGuire

2011-02-05T13:43:00.000-05:00

+ Seabat DJ Set

Calling Occupants: A Paranormal Concert Series

2011-02-04T16:52:00.000-05:00

Performing tonight as part of Ben Kinsley's Calling Occupants.

Times New Viking - No Room To Live

2011-01-31T10:05:00.000-05:00

Times New Viking - No Room to Live from Merge Records on Vimeo.

I animated two seconds (0:20 - 0:21) of the new Times New Viking video along with about 40 other Columbus, OH based artists. I mostly used free samples of holographic security stickers I got from Nova Vision (I'm thinking about getting custom holographic stickers to authenticate my original artworks).

It was directed and edited by Brandon Reichard and Pelham Johnson. Check out this article in Art Rocker about how the video was made, and how to make music videos on the cheap.

Esu Elegua

2011-01-16T18:54:00.000-05:00

Stumbled upon this gem from my time at Port D'Or in Crown Heights, Brooklyn this past summer. Trance Glow for Esu Elegua.

Esu Elegua by John Also Bennett

Seabat - No Wake

2011-01-16T17:57:00.000-05:00

Two new tracks from the upcoming Seabat (myself and Forest Christenson) album No Wake.

Seabat - Let Everything That's Been Planned Come True by John Also Bennett
Seabat - If God Was Also a Triangle by John Also Bennett

ESP Helmets for Improved Interpersonal Communication

2011-01-12T21:06:00.000-05:00

A collaborative installation with Dina Sherman at Skylab Gallery as part of This Might Be It (January 1st, 2011).

Participants were invited to try on the helmets and sit on either side of a wooden door, attempting to exchange thoughts or feelings using extra-sensory communication. Connecting the two minds with a copper wire, the helmets also emitted soothing tones to entrain participants into a more relaxed state.

Nexus

2011-01-09T16:22:00.001-05:00

NEXUS 1 1 2011 by John Also Bennett
First recording of 2011.
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Tuning the Street Piano by John Also Bennett
Playing a piano left on the street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. July, 2010.

This Might Be It

2010-12-23T12:05:00.000-05:00

Conquest of Saturn Audio Art Festival

2010-12-13T20:40:00.001-05:00

Audio generated with a synthesiser built using an Arduino microprocessor, a Korg Monotron analog synthesiser and a system of live feedback loops.

Exi-Trip

2010-12-13T19:13:00.000-05:00

Currently working on a piece for Ed Bear and Lea Bertucci's Exitrip project, which involves re-purposing obsolete i-trip FM transmitters.

John Also Bennett has been working with the ExiTrip in the context of a public sound installation. Situated in one of the most hectic and congested intersections of Columbus, OH, his installation will broadcast soothing, meditative sounds to unwitting drivers who happen to have their radios tuned to particular stations. His project concerns displacing psychological space through sound, and references the original use of the ExiTrip as an in-car transmitter. We worked with him to build an RF amplifier using components harvested from old VCR's that Ed had lying around the studio.

2010-11-03T13:18:00.000-04:00

The Same
Video, Reflective Sticker Material Cut Into Text
Skylab Gallery, Columbus OH
2010

2010-10-14T14:47:00.001-04:00

As part of Tom Leader Studio's Snagged, I designed a four channel sound installation at the Rubin Center for the Visual Arts in El Paso, Texas. Sarah Cowles created the "Flying Ditch"(above) which mimics the profile so common in the US - Mexico border region - where concrete canals divert water from the Rio Grande back to the US, out of parking lots, and off of roads. The sound was captured from sites on the US as well as Mexican side of the border.

"Bennett interweaves elements of human presence from both sides of the US-Mexico border, where screeching machinery muffles the solemn tones of traditional native dances. The abrasive percussion of jackhammers, trains groaning, the trill of video games, and the whirr of cash registers register the desert as a site whose transforming cultural and economic infrastructures perpetually impel and mirror its physical alterations."
- Alex Ross, Adobe Airstream

Creative Time Summit

2010-10-11T19:06:00.001-04:00

Had a blast in New York this weekend curating the musical performances at the Creative Time Summit 2: Revolutions in Public Practice. What a great event, examining the implications, successes, and failures of public practice art. Kind of like Ted Talks but for art and activism. Check the summit website for videos of all the presentations. Don't think there's much music online, as the summit was about the lectures, not music.

Thanks to Nato Thompson and Shane Brennan at Creative Time, as well as C Spencer Yeh, Twisty Cat, Trevor Paglen and all the wonderful musicians and presenters.

Watch live streaming video from creativetime at livestream.com

Chord of Columbus

2010-10-11T18:42:00.000-04:00

The Chord of Columbus, a collaboration of John Also Bennett and Sarah Cowles with the Learning Site Audible Dwelling, made possible by the Bureau for Open Culture.

The Chord of Columbus investigates the ambient tones that emanate from urban infrastructure. Sounds and vibrations of power transformers, parking garages, air conditioners, bridges, traffic signals, street lights are mined from various sites in downtown Columbus. Each day we hear the drones and buzzes of commerce, transportation, energy and information coursing through the city space.

The Chord of Columbus gathers together, condenses, maps and amplifies these sounds into a visual and aural portrait. The tones are analyzed electronically to determine frequency and intensity. The corresponding color of that data is projected onto the exteriors and interiors of Audible Dwelling. The colors unite with the sounds to create a visual and aural cross section of the urban experience, drawing to the surface the subtle soundscapes that continually and often unknowingly affect our everyday life.

The Chord of Columbus includes opening and closing performances and a bicycle tour around downtown Columbus to learn about the sites where the sounds were recorded.

Read Infrastructure Drone Music and The Chord of Columbus by John Also Bennett and view more photos of The Chord of Columbus.

SEABAT - Understanding Holography

2010-09-14T13:23:00.000-04:00

I'm happy to present the first substantial recorded output from the SEABAT project. SEABAT is first a musical collaboration between myself and long time musical partner Forest Christenson.

Musically, Seabat is inspired by early electronic music pioneers, new age sounds of the 80's as well as the burgening crop of contemporary artists using analog and digital synthesizers to create visionary space age drone and noise. Seabat is a soundtrack to cyber space, fantastic visions, underwater travel and feelings of transcendence from daily life into a greater reality.

The Seabat is a mythical creature (in sailor culture, seasoned crew members would tell a new recruit that a 'seabat' is trapped under a crate, and then when they bent down to look wack them on the head as an initiation ritual), as well as the name of a technologically advanced sonar system which creates colorful three dimensional renderings of the canyons and terrain at the bottom of oceans. The music of Seabat is a combination of both of these uses, a fantasy of technological bliss in a holographic world of computers and mythical beings.

Humanity has become increasingly intertwined with it's technology to a point where virtual identity can often overtake the physical. We exist as kind of cyborgs, our electronic extensions (facebook, email, cell phones, electronic media, ect.) quickly gaining power over our identities and our day to day activities. Past futures optimistically promised a technological utopia, taking the form of virtual realities, holograms, and cyberspaces. In the year 2010, this vision is here, the future is now, it is just not quite what we thought it would be.

What used to be science fiction stories are now reality, yet much of the aesthetics of the early days of cyberspace dreams are gone. Seabat acknowledges this technological reality, yet yearns for one aesthetically similar to that of early computer generated graphics, a world of pixels and colors and sweeping points of view, punctuated by transcendent electronic synthesizer music.

Understanding Holography was recorded in two quick days in Brooklyn, when I was first learning about holography. Holography is a technology involving shining a laser light on a three dimensional object and capturing the reflected light waves on a photographic plate, which also has a 'reference beam' shining on it from a slightly different angle, creating interference patterns. The resulting image is three dimensional. I'm currently gathering a tool kit to create my own set of holograms (to be exhibited at Skylab Gallery), as well as researching for an extended article (to be published through the Ohio State University) examining the Hologram's role as an art medium, it's value over time, and possible futures.

Understanding Holography out today. Paypal $7 USD + $1 shipping to johnalsobennett@yahoo.com for a hand numbered / painted limited edition CDR, or download it here - http://seabat.bandcamp.com/. Unholy Rhythms reviewed the album here.

Tuberculosis Ward - Water Treatment

2010-09-08T22:32:00.000-04:00

Tuberculosis Ward is a project involving field recordings taken inside of abandoned buildings. The first release was recorded at the abandoned tuberculosis ward in Athens, OH. This one was recorded at the Nelson Rd. water treatment plant in Columbus, OH, inside one of the silos. It features Irene Moon (Collection of the Late Howell Bend), Ryan Martin (Secret Boyfriend, Boy Zone), R. Lloyd Mason (America Reads) and Myself. This is one clip. Full release will be available online and on cassette next week.

Tuberculosis Ward - Water Treatment by John Also Bennett

Live with Jack Callahan and Ben Bennett

2010-08-27T19:57:00.001-04:00

Ben Bennett / Jack Callahan / John Also Bennett Live @ Microtheater, Pittsfield MA by John Also Bennett

Styrofoam Symphony

2010-08-22T22:28:00.001-04:00

A collaborative installation with Todd Pleasants, Sloan Coffin, Ian Keller and John Also Bennett. All speakers are created from styrofoam plates, cups and food containers as well as cardboard and paper pulled from the trash of local restaurants. Bought materials included magnets, copper wire, and a bit of glue.

On View at City Center at OSU Urban Arts Space through September 19th.

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Clam-Shell Relaxation Quadtych

Emits binaural beats in the alpha frequency range, which can entrain the brain into a more relaxed state.

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11 Million Tons

A two channel aural representation of yearly global polystyrene consumption levels. In 2003, the world consumed approximately eleven million tons of polystyrene. Each squeal, rub, or groan (produced by manipulating styrofoam) represents 20,000 tons of polystyrene. The piece is 365 seconds in length.

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Geo-Descent Sound Dome

A geo-descent sound dome inspired by Buckminster Fuller's design and principle of ephemeralization. It is constructed from recycled styrofoam bowls, cardboard and packing tape. It emits a pleasing selection of classical music and opera.

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Hard-Core Speaker, Coffee Cup Radio Headset, and Light Sensitive Egg Carton Modulator.

Production

2010-08-13T16:49:00.000-04:00

Infinite Take Out

2010-08-12T00:17:00.000-04:00

Digital Photograph, 2010

August 20th, OSU Urban Arts Space in Columbus, OH

2010-08-11T17:52:00.000-04:00

Eleven Million Tons

Eleven Million Tons is an aural representation of global polystyrene consumption levels. The sounds are produced by manipulating various forms of polystyrene. Each single sound (there are 545 in total) represents 20,000 metric tons of polystyrene. Together, the 365 second long piece equates the approximately 11 million metric tons of polystyrene consumed globally each year. The piece has four channels, played from speaker cabinets constructed from reclaimed polystyrene foam food containers.

Binaural Beat Generator

The Binaural Beat Generator creates frequencies similar to those produced by the brain when in alpha state, the mode most conducive to meditation. The generator emits two frequencies with an approximately 10 Hz difference. This difference is perceived by the listener, who notices 10 Hz pulsations (which only exist in the listeners brain). Alpha brain waves, which are between 7 - 12 Hz, occur during waking relaxation or meditation. Listening to binaural beats in the alpha frequency range can help entrain the brain into a state of relaxation. It is played from speakers constructed from reclaimed polystyrene foam food containers.

2010-07-25T15:18:00.000-04:00

Live recording from infrastructure drone performance at Devotion Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Thanks to Bill Brown and Sabine Gruffat.

Infrastructure Drone - Live at Devotion Gallery, Brooklyn, NY by John Also Bennett

nothing left to talk about
John Also Bennett, 2010.

2010-07-23T13:42:00.000-04:00

Upcoming Live Performances:

July 29th - Garden of Mendes, Brooklyn, NY.
w/ Ben Bennett, Greg Fox, and a guided meditation session.

Garden of Mendes
661 Sterling Place
Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
7 PM, Donations.

July 31st - Microtheater, Pittsfield, MA.
w/Ben Bennett, Jack Callahan, Limbs Bin, Dan Kozuch

August 1st - Cruud House, North Adams, MA.
w/Ben Bennett, Jack Callahan, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Pine Smoke Lodge, Isa Christ, Belltone Suicide, Cruudeuces, Rambutan, Ryan Scott.

Investigations in Energy and Sound

2010-07-16T13:10:00.001-04:00

In New York, I continue to investigate the sounds emanating from infrastructure. These sounds serve as windows into the normally hidden world of energy flow, which keeps our society afloat. New York, a city no stranger to black or brown outs, knows what it's like when electricity goes out, and the dramatic silence of its infrastructure drone falls upon the city.

Recent field recordings of power transformers, air conditioners and other infrastructural vibrations in Brooklyn now accessible on Sabine Gruffat and Bill Brown's BIKE BOX.

The opening reception for the BIKE BOX is Friday, July 16th at Devotion Gallery (54 Maujer Street, Brooklyn NY).

Arrangement

2010-06-23T13:07:00.000-04:00

I am currently living in Brooklyn, New York (Crown Heights), at Port d'Or. We're doing experimental shows out of our storefront here, in a mainly Caribbean neighborhood. Visit www.myspace.com/portdor for show listings.

I have also been interning with Creative Time. I'm in Times Square a lot of the time, bestowing the Key to the City regular New Yorkers. It's a project by Paul Ramirez Jonas, in which regular people are given a key to the city, which opens up locks in locations throughout the five burroughs.

I'm making music as Seabat, sometimes solo and sometimes as a collaboration with Forest Christenson. There are some tracks on line here.

I'm extremely interested in this video by Oneohtrix Point Never -

Stellar Om Source

2010-05-02T21:37:00.000-04:00

I'm very excited to be bringing Stellar Om Source back to Columbus June 21st at Skylab. Christelle creates luminous electronic music in the same vein as Oneohtrix Point Never, Emeralds or Alice Coltrane if she had access to synthesizers. She stands out among the neo-new age crowd, actually using laser light shows at her performances and living a fairly nomadic touring life. I listen to it everyday for mental health.

Stellar Om Source - "Ocean Woman"

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CP006B8S

Come to the show and buy "The Trilogy" on Vinyl.

Destroying a Television

2010-04-20T10:36:00.001-04:00

An attempt to free myself from television. It worked. I've a projector for watching film, and a computer.

The chain came off the saw fairly early, before most of the destruction, so I had to start smashing it with a big piece of wood I'd already sawed off. This would have been better had I rigged up the chainsaw and TV with contact mics, but this was during Aaron Hibbs' first world record hula hoop marathon attempt (72 hours), and I was busy changing his pee wood chips, fighting off fans, logging witnesses, ect. and didn't get it rigged up by go time. But here it is anyways, my farewell to television, which I haven't watched since except for a few NBA games and 60 minutes with my dad. The next thing to do will be somehow smashing facebook.

Nautical Almanac at Skylab

2010-03-29T20:14:00.001-04:00

Matt Minter / R. Clint Colburn

2010-03-25T14:05:00.000-04:00

Skylab Gallery is proud to present the work of Matt Minter and R. Clint Colburn.

View work samples here - http://mattminter.blogspot.com/ and here - http://rclintcolburn.blogspot.com/

2010-03-19T21:54:00.002-04:00

Fence Ditch Repeat: Iterations of the Border at Juárez/El Paso at the Center for Land Use Interpretation

A CLUI Independent Interpreter exhibit featuring the work of Sarah Cowles, Alan Smart and John Also Bennett. From CLUI:

"THE CENTER'S INDEPENDENT INTERPRETER PROGRAM continued in 2010, following a display of Cindy Hooper’s video work with two more programs about the US/Mexico border.

In March, an installation of Sarah Cowles and Alan Smart’s project about the border structures of El Paso/Juarez opened, Fence Ditch Repeat, which included a lecture about the project, and an accompanying sound installation by John Also Bennett.

Large printed display panels lined the walls of the CLUI, depicting and describing the history and physical landscape of the 2,000 mile-long border. Roughly at the halfway point, at Juarez/El Paso, the border makes its transition from a linear landform of cartography (over the land westward, to the Pacific), and as a chaotic, dendritic river channel (following the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo eastward to the Atlantic).

It is also a diverse river of steel protrusions, at least on the American side, employing a variety of boundary defences, including recycled Gulf-War landing mat used as fence, 18 foot steel beam fence, three-foot mesh panels fence, straight rail vehicle barrier, cattle fence, staggered concrete column fence, Sandia Fence, curved First Defence-type fence, and the various electronic forms of fence, including seismic sensors, sky boxes, TARS blimps, camera stations, and SBI Net towers."

Nautical Almanac @ Skylab

2010-03-09T10:44:00.000-05:00

Tonight (March 9th) at Skylab Gallery - Nautical Almanac (Seminal Baltimore hypnotic abstract sound and noise, via a registered hypnotherapist and a psychedelic guru), Weyes Bluhd (Ex. Jackie-O Motherfucker ballads), Outer Space (John Elliot of Emeralds, new age space synth), and Eagle Nebula (myself and the out there dudes get out there).

"How Nautical Almanac, or any of the other groups associated with the
extreme edges of the new American electronic noise underground, fit into
the picture of 'music as we know it' is a real question. The insane
wobbling and instrumental barking that fills this picture disc LP is so
berserk, so difficult to grasp, contain or describe, that it almost
requires a new taxonomy.

There's a lot of stuff in this camp these days. Electronic post-core
anarchists are breaking loose from everywhere, creating assaultive or
hilarious hogwash from what are, ostensibly, primitive dance mook
generators. But what would Giorgio Moroder make of something like this? I mean the most musical parts on Cisum are like something ripped from the
soundtrack of an animated film about pelvic infections among Turkish women. And the non-musical bits are much stranger than that - something like code messages transmitted by squirrels trapped in deep space, or the squeaks an elevator control panel makes in a very dire emergency.

Nautical Almanac first appeared a few years ago as a tangential member of
the American Tapes/Hanson Records alliance, along with Universal Indians,Wolf Eyes and all else. Now they base themselves in Baltimore, Maryland and are on the way to creating a new mid-Atlantic noise treaty organisation.
Released on their own Heresee label, this album is a fairly spectacular
leap into the unknown. The group are currently engaged in a spontaneously
unfolding three month tour of the USA, which may well be the first hard
evidence of a new, cohesively sprawling underground scene. And this record, powerful in Dionysian overtones that place it far beyond the sniff shadow cast by glitch merchants, could be a rich philosophical tract in the
creation of something swift. As music, it may have its doubters, but as
pure sonic power it's undeniable." - Brian Coley, Wire Magazine

Nautical Almanac live at Skylab -

Live at ROY G BIV

2010-03-07T15:14:00.000-05:00

Chord of Columbus Closing Performance Tonight!

2010-03-06T11:27:00.000-05:00

Tonight, your last chance to check out Chord of Columbus being performed live.

The Audible Dwellings are located at Long and Washington Streets, downtown. Starts at seven.

CHORD OF COLUMBUS OPENING PERFORMANCE

2010-03-04T10:43:00.000-05:00

Chord of Columbus opening performance last Friday, February 26th. A collaboration between myself, Sarah Cowles and the Learning Site Audible Dwelling. Thanks to Jim Voorhies and Diana Matuszak at the Bureau for Open Culture and Cassandra Troyan for driving the Chord of Columbus Official Vehicle.

Also, at Skylab Tomorrow (Friday, March 5th) - Wolf Eyes, Envenomist, The Family Chapter, Biff Boff Barf and Self Party.

2010-02-17T19:15:00.000-05:00

2010-02-02T15:55:00.000-05:00

johnny and johnny together on stage at last (performing with my father for the first time)

daniel higgs - bible time (daniel performed to an awestruck, intimate crowd of about 40)

Tonight

2010-02-01T11:18:00.000-05:00

Tonight at Skylab Gallery, performing for the first time with my father, John M. Bennett. John M. Bennett is a somewhat legendary avant garde poet. Also performing are Daniel Higgs and Stellar Om Source. Will indeed be STELLAR.

Eagle Nebula at Skylab

2010-01-14T11:27:00.000-05:00

Eagle Nebula reunited for the first time in maybe 8 months this past Tuesday at Skylab. I bloodied my hands a bit.

Eagle Nebula, Skylab, 01/12/10 from MULAN SERRICO on Vimeo.

Thanks to Nicolas Murer for the video.

Chord of Columbus

2010-01-12T16:25:00.000-05:00

Some Press on Chord of Columbus from Metropolis -

On February 26, Audible Dwelling will enter its next phase: broadcasting Chord of Columbus, an arrangement of ambient tones originating from a variety of local sources, including power transformers, air conditioners, construction sites, and parking garages. The work, realized by the Ohio State University professor Sarah Cowles and the local artist and musician John Also Bennett, will also include video projections onto the interior and exterior of the houses showing the origin and intensity of the sounds, among other data. “We hope our work can add to discussions and the awareness of a city’s ongoing and constant mode of changes,” says Learning Site’s Wendt. “And we hope the questions are not all about how long the racket will go on.”

http://www.metropolismag.com/pov/20100111/ear-to-the-ground

Snagged

2010-01-12T16:22:00.000-05:00

I did a sound installation in El Paso, Texas as part of Snagged from the Tom Leader Studio.

"The exhibition's four-channel sound installation by John Also Bennett
interweaves elements of human presence from both sides of the
US-Mexico border, where screeching machinery muffles the solemn tones
of traditional native dances. The abrasive percussion of jackhammers,
trains groaning, the trill of video games, and the whirr of cash
registers register the desert as a site whose transforming cultural
and economic infrastructures perpetually impel and mirror its physical
alterations."

http://www.adobeairstream.com/component/zine/article/263-snagged-ensnares-human-behavior-.html

More Rust

2009-12-21T15:08:00.000-05:00

A few videos containing some sound from Monuments of Rust. Mind the excess gallery noise and somewhat poor quality!

Find more videos like this on International Union of Mail-Artists

Find more videos like this on International Union of Mail-Artists

Move Like You Hear the Music

2009-12-18T12:54:00.000-05:00

Outdoor Installation Post-Rust
Downtown Columbus, OH
12/17/09

The Infrastructure Melts Me So

2009-12-18T12:45:00.001-05:00

I took down my Monuments of Rust installation at OSU Urban Arts Space this week, and put up a few new ones.

Outdoor Installation Post-Rust
Downtown Columbus, OH.
12/17/09

Chord of Columbus

2009-12-17T12:40:00.000-05:00

Frequency Analysis of 60-Cycle Mains Hum.

Chord of Columbus investigates the ambient tones that emanate from urban
infrastructure. Sounds of power transformers, parking garages, air
conditioners, bridges, traffic signals, street lights and more are mined
from various sites in downtown Columbus. Each day we hear these drones and
buzzes of commerce, transportation, energy and information, yet they often
remain unnoticed.

Chord of Columbus gathers together, condenses, maps and amplifies these
sounds into a visual and aural portrait. The tones are analyzed to determine
frequency and intensity, assigned a color based on that data, and projected
onto the exteriors and interiors of Audible Dwelling. The colors combine
with the sounds to create a visual and aural cross section of the urban
experience, drawing to the surface the subtle urban soundscapes that
continually and often unknowingly affect our everyday life.

Chord of Columbus is a collaboration of John Also Bennett and Sarah Cowles
with the Learning Site Audible Dwelling.

OPENING PERFORMANCE: FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26TH, 2009
Location: Audible Dwelling in the parking lot on CCAD campus at corner of N. Washington and E. Long Streets Map
Time: 6:00 p.m.

Johnny Nebula

2009-12-04T13:31:00.000-05:00

I found this review of a performance I did this September. There is a video of this piece currently in post production...

Next up was Johnny Nebula, who is the dude who booked me on the show. His set was an amazing performance piece that consisted of him attacking a big screen tv with a fucking chainsaw! While wearing a weird 50's scifi movie style space suit helmet! There was a nice droning loop in the background as he ripped the tv to pieces with the chainsaw. He was moving around a lot, and I think for a few moments he may have been in danger of doing serioucs harm to himself.

Eventually the chain on the chainsaw broke, and he reverted to beating the television with pieces of the wood that he had taken off of it. The performance climaxed after he gutted the insides of the tv with his bare hands and push it down, crawling into it then emerging with blood on his hands. It was an amazing piece of performance art, one that I certainly envy. I'd say it was definitely up there with anything by Chris Burden or Vito Acconci.

-Royce Icon

New Age Dang Brains

2009-11-30T13:15:00.000-05:00

This post is a bit late, but Dan Olsen's New Age Dang Brains just closed last night at Skylab. I "curated" this show. Not to take any credit away from Dan, though. Dan is one of my favorite artists in Columbus and lives in the Skylab building on the 3rd floor. His work is nostalgic, colorful and psychedelic, yet reveals an inner darkness. Dan is a deep ocean, yet often conveys emotional emptiness and spiritual depletion with his work. He also works with sound, and the show had a soundtrack consisting of screwed R & B jams, healing tones, and found karaoke recordings, which he also slowed down.

View more of his work here - www.danzodanzo.com. He's also got a blog - www.slowmom.blogspot.com.

That's me with one of Dan's masks on during the opening performance.

Audible Dwelling to Open Tuesday, November 24th

2009-11-22T11:22:00.000-05:00

The Audible Dwelling, designed by art collective Learning Site (Rikke Luther from Denmark and Cecilia Wendt from Sweden) is scheduled to open this Tuesday November 24th. Organized by CCAD's Bureau for Open Culture, the dwelling is part dwelling and part loud speaker, a two part stereo house that reverberates sound. They are located in a parking lot on the corner of E. Long Street and N. Washington.

I've been helping with construction the past few weeks, and have a sound installation slated to open in the dwelling early March called the Chord of Columbus. More information on the Chord of Columbus to come soon.

http://www.bureauforopenculture.org/descenttorevolution.html

Flyer - Mike Tamburo, Ben Reynolds, Layne Garrett, John Also Bennett

2009-11-17T17:43:00.000-05:00

Here's a flyer I made for an upcoming performance, using the ghost boxer poster I found in the abandoned Youngstown boxing ring. It's an image I've grown quite attached to.

2009-11-16T17:44:00.001-05:00

Ghost of the Ring

2009-11-16T11:12:00.000-05:00

Photo: Dan Olsen

Ghost of the Ring

Sound Installation with manipulated field recordings taken inside of an El Paso, TX casino, punctuated with live police scanner transmissions. Image salvaged from an abandoned boxing ring in Youngstown, OH.

Skylab Gallery, 9 / 17 / 09.

Sword Heaven / Relentless Corpse / Ginger Fetus Collaboration

2009-11-13T17:08:00.000-05:00

Here's a video of the tail end of Sword Heaven, Relentless corpse and myself (Ginger Fetus) recording a collaboration. You can see me occasionally writhing on the floor and playing guitar.

Monuments of Rust

2009-11-12T11:36:00.000-05:00

I've got a piece up at the Monuments of Columbus show at the OSU Urban Arts Space.

Monuments of Rust is an ode to the many abandoned, rusted, burned out factories on the fringes of Columbus and throughout Ohio. It is built entirely from salvaged materials taken from these factories and emanates a soundtrack of field recordings captured in the same places. This piece is an attempt to bring the sort of ghostly spirituality I feel when exploring these forgotten relics of our industrial past directly to the viewer. The cool part about this piece is when you're in the gallery you can actually smell the rust and dirt, as well as see and hear it. I wouldn't mind if you touched it, either, just watch for the rusty shards of metal.

Listen to a sound clip here - www.myspace.com/gingerfetus (entitled "Cast Stone Treatment")

Photos: Jason Brabbs

Ginger Fetus Live @ Monster House

2009-11-12T11:23:00.000-05:00

Jimi Payne recorded the GINGER FETUS set Tuesday night at Monster House. This is the first set I've played under that name in a while.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/jzymwy0j0mz/gingerfetus.mp3

After I finished, Tobie hopped on the organ and we jammed a quick one -

http://www.mediafire.com/file/zdtjgnhzcma/gingerfetustoby.mp3