Gearing up for a benefit hosted by NYC’s art collective The Kitchen, ex-Talking Heads frontman/artful blogger David Byrne created a fantastic forced-interaction art piece. In honor of the May 21st’s spring gala benefit honoring Christian Marclay, Byrne has stitched together 100 effects pedals designed to be walked across as the patrons enter the space randomly engaging them with each cautious step. The above photo shows a peek at the work in progress.
If you’ve ever spent any time, as I have, hunched over a few random pedals idly twisting knobs to force out some squelches and echoed bleets, the prospect of this massive citylike grid of noiseboxes brings more than a bit of joy. I’m also a fervent fan of forced participation art. The more unsuspecting the better, in my book.
The only thing I could probably fault the revered Mr. Byrne would be for the Twin Peaks pun in the title of his post. “Pedal Walk With Me”? Let that be the greatest sin committed.
The Kitchen Spring Gala Benefit takes place Wed. May 21st at The Puck Building – 295 Lafayette Street. Tickets start at $600.00.
Byrne also has an op-ed piece in today’s NY Times about recently deceased artist Robert Rauschenberg:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/opinion/16byrne.html?ex=1368676800&en=472177fc868b99e4&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink