Harry Smith Anthology Remixed

Opening: 8 May 2007, 6 – 9pm
Exhibition: 9 May – 30 June 2007
Exhibition extended to 4 August 2007

The exhibition brings together the work of 84 leading artists and musicians, who have been invited to make a visual artwork in response to 1 track each from the groundbreaking music release the Anthology of American Folk Music. The Anthology was edited by seminal New York artist, musicologist and experimental filmmaker Harry Smith, and first published by Folkways in 1952.

The Anthology is comprised entirely of recordings issued between 1927 (the year electronic recording made accurate reproduction possible) and 1932 when the Depression stifled folk music sales. Harry Smith used the new LP technology to create an unbroken sequence of songs, divided into three colour coded sets, which represented three elements: air, fire and water. The Anthology is considered to be one of the most important collections of information in modern society, creating a folk canon and contributing to numerous folk revival movements.

This exhibition aims to create a new visual collection of the Anthology, to continue the collective history and revival of the work, as seen through the eyes of contemporary visual artists and musicians. The exhibition includes artists from the Europe, Japan and the US reflecting a diverse and exciting range of practice including: visual art, outsider art, comic book, design, craft and illustration.

Exhibition curated by Rebecca Shatwell. A specially commissioned essay by David Keenan accompanies the exhibition and can be downloaded here.

Harry Smith Anthology Remixed contributing artists are:
Dave Allen, Jonathan Allen, Diane Barcelowsky, Marcia Bassett, Eric Beltz, Hisham Bharoocha, Jesse Bransford, Vashti Bunyan, Jelle Crama, Jaron Childs, Rob Churm, Marcus Coates, Karen Constance, Christian Cummings, Dearraindrop, Arrington di Dionyso, Graham Dolphin, Bill Drummond, Jorn Ebner, Peter J.Evans, Yamataka Eye, Jad Fair, Feathers Family, Kyle Field, Alec Finlay, Devin Flynn, Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, Luke Fowler, Chris Graham, Susie Green, Doug Harvey, Rama Hoffpauir, Dan Howard-Birt, Zoe Irvine, Rich Jacobs, James Johnson-Perkins and Mat Cowan, Juneau Projects, Seth Kelly, Jeffrey Lewis, Linder, Derek Lodge, Lone Twin, Robert AA Lowe, Ant Macari, The Matinee Orchestra, Maya Miller, Paul D.Miller aka DJ Spooky, Gean Moreno, Heather Leigh Murray, Michael Nyman, Dylan Nyoukis, John Olson, John Orth, Paper Rad, Mike Paré, Plastic Crimewave, Dave Portner, Devin Powers, Adam Putnam, The Rebel, Ginny Reed, Clare E.Rojas, Chris Rollen, Arik Roper, Giles Round, Royal Art Lodge, Mathew Sawyer, David Sherry, Brooke Sietinsons, Ross Sinclair, Andre Stitt, Philip Taaffe, Vernon & Burns, Daryl Waller, Flora Whiteley, Michael Wilson, Simon Woolham, Andrew Jeffrey Wright, C. Spencer Yeh, Yokoland, :zoviet*france:

For more information about the Anthology and Harry Smith see:
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
The Harry Smith Archives

Related Events/Exhibitions:


Late Opening:
The Late Shows, Saturday 19 May 2007, 7.00 - 11.00pm
7.00 – 7.30pm: Phil & Cath Tyler
8.00 – 8.30pm: Richard Dawson
9.00 – 9.30pm: Phil & Cath Tyler
In celebration of the annual festival Museums at Night alt.gallery will be open late with special in-store performances by Phil & Cath Tyler and Richard Dawson. www.thelateshows.org.uk

The following No-Fi gig features exhibiting artist:
24 May 2007, Arrington de Dionyso, Star and Shadow Cinema
www.no-fi.org.uk

Harry Smith Anthology Remixed is a companion exhibition to: Harry Smith, Hobbies and Films at Reg Vardy Gallery, University of Sunderland, 2 May – 8 June www.regvardygallery.org

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead presents Graham Dolphin’s first solo public gallery show in the UK, Repeater. Repeater will run from 16 May and includes his record sleeve/vinyl works, www.balticmill.com

Harry Smith Anthology Remixed Collection >

Harry Smith Anthology Remixed Booklet (pdf) >

Photographic documentation >