Been out of commission for the last few days confined to bed due to a painful gout attack. I guess I’ve been stressed out with having to move from my penthouse flat after eight years inhabitance. Before getting sick I had a lovely meeting with Susanne Sachsse about our 2015 New York City project a performative installation of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Also had a fab luncheon with actor Viggo Mortensen who is spending a lot of time in Spain doing theatre. Viggo use to be married to one of my best gal pals the lovely and talented Exene Cervenka of the legendary LA punk band X. Viggo and Exene had a kid together named Henry who I use to babysit when he was a toddler. Whenever he started crying I would threaten to put him in the oven and make a cookie out of him. He stopped crying ASAP. I guess its obvious I’m not a huge fan of children. Well that little boy is now 27 years old and in the summer is coming to Berlin and wants to hang out with me. I think I actually did stick him in the oven once. Poor child is scarred for life. Back in the 1980s Viggo and I were part of the poetry/spoken word scene of Los Angeles. This was way before he was an A-list movie actor. One of my ex dates Tim Donnelly worked at Beyond Baroque in Venice, California and I use to perform regularly there with Viggo, Exene and Henry Rollins of Black Flag. At one event at BeBop Records in the Valley Tequila Mockingbird gave Henry Rollins and impromptu head shaving. I also threatened to beat Viggo up when I found out that he was cheating on Exene with his Indian Runner co-star Patricia Arquette of the famous Arquette acting dynasty. Viggo has a really huge penis. When I did the Sunday afternoon punque rock beer bust Club Sucker at the Garage in the 1990’s Patricia Arquette use to bring her son Enzo Rossi to the club to hang with his Argentinian dad Paul Rossi of the punk band Wasted Youth. Paul bought the Garage bar from the elderly gay dude who owned it when it was the oldest gay bar in Los Angeles called The Bunkhouse. Come to think of it. Enzo Rossi must be college age now.
Enough trolling down memory lane its making me feel too old. I also had a lovely dinner at this great Portuguese restaurant in East Berlin with Susanne her beautiful twins Richard & Salome Gersch, film historian Marcuse Siegel and the great scholar, curator and writer from New York City Douglas Crimp. Mr. Douglas Crimp is beyond brilliant, very sexy and always immaculately dressed.
One of my handsomest and sexy young students Christophe DeRohan Chabot who is a very talented young artist from a famous patrician family in France is doing some kind of zany performative event on Saturday evening. If you are visiting Berlin I highly recommend your checking it out:
Dear friends,
Enough trolling down memory lane its making me feel too old. I also had a lovely dinner at this great Portuguese restaurant in East Berlin with Susanne her beautiful twins Richard & Salome Gersch, film historian Marcuse Siegel and the great scholar, curator and writer from New York City Douglas Crimp. Mr. Douglas Crimp is beyond brilliant, very sexy and always immaculately dressed.
One of my handsomest and sexy young students Christophe DeRohan Chabot who is a very talented young artist from a famous patrician family in France is doing some kind of zany performative event on Saturday evening. If you are visiting Berlin I highly recommend your checking it out:
Dear friends,
I would be pleased to invite you to the opening of
informationas ( a place ) / to (a) show
at Kreuzberg Pavillon this saturday the 17th,
between 8 to 12 pm in Naunystr 53
Thank you very much
All the best,
Christophe de Rohan Chabot
***
And I also received a note from the team that works with the internationally lauded German singing chanteuse Billy Ray Martin who use to be my downstairs neighbour back in 2008/9. Billy and I both worked with British musician David Harrow of Depeche Mode fame who now is an Elysian Park based music artist in Los Angeles.
Dear all.
This week sees some exciting releases on bandcamp, the main one being two previously unreleased recordings https://billieraymartin.bandcamp.com/album/two-unreleased-recordings
Fans have supported this release in a big way and have expressed their appreciation across social media. Billie would like to thank her fans massively for the love and support.
Also albums like 'Deadline for my Memories' have been made available on bandcamp with bonus tracks, as have other albums. Currently we are in the process of uploading all CD singes, then all vinyl singles, while adding bonusses and unreleased recordings whenever available. Be sure to follow Billie on bandcamp. also new on bandcamp, a previously unavailable release: Crime and Punishment EP http://billieraymartin.bandcamp.com/album/billie-ray-martin-presents-sonnenstahl-crime-punishment and: http://billieraymartin.bandcamp.com/album/where-fools-rush-in-including-original-demo with added demo. The release date for the next official BRM single, a Bowie cover entitled: "After All", has been set to 13th July (Germany 11th July) with promotion starting next week across all usual platforms. A video was shot last week. We'll update you on news asap. Billie Has also shot a video for the follow-up song and next month she'll shoot the video for her duet with Aerea Negrot entitled: Off The Rails.
Billie is currently in the studio recording follow-ups for the single, as well as recording for some other collaborations. A soul album is also being mixed to be released early next year. Other bits. Billie has been writing very personal notes on how her various releases were written and recorded. Fans have been loving them. One example:the mad, mad tale of how Four Ambient Tales was written and recorded. Trust me, you'll be surprised (read the 'about this album' description) https://billieraymartin.bandcamp.com/album/four-ambient-tales
Best wishes from the BRM-Team.Some info about the new single: “After All”
Four track Digital release
Release date: 13 July 2014 (Germany: 11 July 2014)
Label: Disco Activisto Records
Catalogue no: DAREC1402
Distribution: billieraymartin.bandcamp.com
and all digital stores worldwide
Style: House (Chicago) A spontaneous idea while in a writing session with Dark Storm (aka Abdullah Al-Wali), Billie casually recorded demo vocals for this Bowie cover. To record the song had been on Billie’s ‘to do’ list for a number of years and Abdullah’s production vibe lent itself perfectly to the idea.
Billie and Abdullah had come together by chance, after Billie had received the Dark Storm album promo and replied that she loved it. Soon after, they got together for a week in Berlin to work on song ideas.
Billie had a certain sound in mind for the mix of ‘After All’ and managed to create something in the studio that surpassed her own expectations. Not designed to service dancefloors in an obvious way, it still manages to create a ‘back to the roots’ groove... anyone uttering Electribe 101?
Legendary House and Techno Pioneer Mijk van Dijk’s mixes give this release a serious old school house vibe with an Electribe 101 feel, while the chilled Caesar Gergess Dub adds the theremin (!!) and jazzy trumpet to the package.
Tracklist:‘After All’
Original version Mijk van Dijk remix Mijk van Dijk dub Caesar Gergess mix
Written by: David Bowie
Produced by: Abdullah Al-wali & Billie Ray Martin
Mixed by: Billie Ray Martin & Steve Honest at Hackney Road Studios
Additional Guitar: Steve Honest
billie ray martin disco activisto records
www.billieraymartin.com
***
And if you are interested in some rollicking phun queer coursework during the summer:
Summer Writing Workshops at the Kotti-Shop
All writers and their unique styles are welcome: Poets, Narrative, Broken Language, Essays, Correspondence, Scripts & Plays, Lyrics for Music.
No previous experience required.
at the Kotti-Shop - Adalberstr. 4 - www.kotti-shop.net / www.facebook.com/kottishop
60 € for all 6 sessions. All materials included.
Questions and registration at: ameliabande77(at)gmail.com
Wednesday's Workshop "Dancing with Words": Experimenting with writing in all forms. Everybody is welcome.
Wednesdays from 19:00 to 21:00 / 6 weekly sessions / Dates: June 4th to July 9th
(Find further details below)
Tuesday's Workshop "Read the Writing Electric": Write your own work while reading the work of others. For people who have a project (or several) in mind they want to work on / edit / receive feedback on / expand / share.
Tuesdays from 19:00 to 21:00 / 6 weekly sessions / Dates: June 10th to July 15th
(Find further details below)
.................................................................................................
WORKSHOP ONE: DANCING WITH WORDS
Language: English, though you can write in your preferred language.
Wednesdays from 19:00 to 21:00 / 6 weekly sessions / Dates: June 4th to July 9th
Every week we will work with a specific theme or assignment leading to a piece of written material. We will experiment with various types of writing while learning about rhythm, tone and the power of what we write about. During the workshop we will run a series of simple and practical writing exercises to help develop personal style and voice in the creation of texts from things we observe, experience or imagine. We will also write collectively, using cut-and-paste techniques.
This workshop wants to offer a safe space to write while learning how to give and take useful feedback. It doesn't matter if you already have a specific project you are working on, or if you just want to come and develop fragmented ideas. This will be 6 weeks of hard work mutating into a fun and experimental choreography of words.
.................................................................................................
WORKSHOP TWO: READ THE WRITING ELECTRIC
Language: English.
Tuesdays from 19:00 to 21:00 / 6 weekly sessions / Dates: June 10th to July 15th
Every week we will read or see the work of a specific writer (These will be short pieces: a poem, a youtube video, a story or fragment of a longer text). We will respond with simple written exercises and experiments that work with notions of plagiarism, appropriation, riot writing and total admiration. Also, participants will have the option to present their own texts to the group in respectful and illuminated feedback sessions. Projects in all genres and stages of completion are welcome. This workshop wants to be a safe and useful space for discussing written materials, expanding our understanding of what writing is or can be.
If you already took one of the Dancing with Words workshops before, I recommend you register for this one, it will be all new assignments and text experiments :) Some of the writers we might read are: David Wojnarowicz, Eileen Myles, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, Dante Alighieri, Assata Shakur, Raúl Zurita, Kathy Acker, Dead Prez, Walt Whitman, Lydia Davis, bell hooks, Mujeres Creando, Charles M. Schulz, the list will expand or shrink and is open to suggestions by participants.
"It is the experience of writing that matters. I am driven to write, compelled by a constant longing to choreograph, to bring words together in patterns and configurations that move the spirit. As a writer, I seek that moment of ecstasy when I am dancing with words". bell hooks in Remembered Rapture: Dancing with Words.
Register at: ameliabande77(at)gmail.com
***
Oh and one final little item from the British artist Elly Clark:
Portraiture & other stories
The George Richmond Portrait Project / Instantaneous Culture / Banff / and Skype
Dear friends, family, colleagues & collaborators,
This is a rather overdue newsletter about some of the things I've been up to over the past few months. Whilst last year was largely a year of exhibitions (including FRAME_birmingham & new site-specific commission Half Crowns in their Petticoats for Thrift Radiates Happiness at Birmingham Municipal Bank), 2014 is about production and development. Thanks to a generous R&D grant from Arts Council West Midlands, I have been able to gather more material for my ongoing George Richmond Portrait Project, and to go on shoots across the country visiting portraits and their current guardians.
GEORGE RICHMOND PORTRAIT PROJECT
(My great-great-great grandfather) George Richmond RA (1809-1896) produced over 3000 portraits during a career that spanned 6 decades. I am focussing on portraits that are still owned by the same families that commissioned them. Therefore the photographs I am taking and the audio I'm recording forms a kind of double portrait of a family; of those who are living and those who came before, and whose image/s (and stories) subsequent generations have lived with since then. Over the past 3 months my team and I have done a further 9 shoots - in Scotland, Northern England, the Midlands and London - with more planned for the summer. I have also spent some time delving through letters and diaries in the Royal Academy Archives.
You can see more about this project on the project website: georgerichmondproject.com and on Soundcloud, and follow our progress on Twitter (@GRProject_) and Facebook. (/GeorgeRichmondProject).
INSTANTANEOUS CULTURE
The other thing I've been working is a series of songs about the way we communicate. For a long time I have been obsessed with mobile phones, and, when they saturated the market, with their impact on us, our sense (and presentation) of self, and our relationships. I made my first piece about this in 2002 and in 2010 I wrote a series of songs about them, for my (now disbanded) band Theodor Storm in Berlin.
Now, in collaboration with a set of brilliant music/costume/set/camera/editing people from London, Berlin & Birmingham, I am working these songs into new forms, and making videos to go with them. The first, Instantaneous Culture, made in collaboration with a bunch of pretty splendid peeps in Berlin & London you can see here: http://vimeo.com/95290394.
DISTRIBUTED INTIMACIES at The Banff Centre
I am excited to have been granted a scholarship to participate in a three-week themed residency, entitled Distributed Intimacies, taking place at the Banff Centre in Canada next month to develop this work further. I will also be producing a series of prints from Conversational Traces.
And finally, I have works as part of two projects by curator Charlie Levine: a couple of short films in the Moving Image Project (shown so far in Tokyo, Christchurch & Baroda, India), and a rendition of Edward Lear's The Owl and the Pussy Cat for the Tale Tellers.
Many thanks for reading.
With best wishes,
Elly
informationas ( a place ) / to (a) show
at Kreuzberg Pavillon this saturday the 17th,
between 8 to 12 pm in Naunystr 53
Thank you very much
All the best,
Christophe de Rohan Chabot
***
And I also received a note from the team that works with the internationally lauded German singing chanteuse Billy Ray Martin who use to be my downstairs neighbour back in 2008/9. Billy and I both worked with British musician David Harrow of Depeche Mode fame who now is an Elysian Park based music artist in Los Angeles.
Dear all.
This week sees some exciting releases on bandcamp, the main one being two previously unreleased recordings https://billieraymartin.bandcamp.com/album/two-unreleased-recordings
Fans have supported this release in a big way and have expressed their appreciation across social media. Billie would like to thank her fans massively for the love and support.
Also albums like 'Deadline for my Memories' have been made available on bandcamp with bonus tracks, as have other albums. Currently we are in the process of uploading all CD singes, then all vinyl singles, while adding bonusses and unreleased recordings whenever available. Be sure to follow Billie on bandcamp. also new on bandcamp, a previously unavailable release: Crime and Punishment EP http://billieraymartin.bandcamp.com/album/billie-ray-martin-presents-sonnenstahl-crime-punishment and: http://billieraymartin.bandcamp.com/album/where-fools-rush-in-including-original-demo with added demo. The release date for the next official BRM single, a Bowie cover entitled: "After All", has been set to 13th July (Germany 11th July) with promotion starting next week across all usual platforms. A video was shot last week. We'll update you on news asap. Billie Has also shot a video for the follow-up song and next month she'll shoot the video for her duet with Aerea Negrot entitled: Off The Rails.
Billie is currently in the studio recording follow-ups for the single, as well as recording for some other collaborations. A soul album is also being mixed to be released early next year. Other bits. Billie has been writing very personal notes on how her various releases were written and recorded. Fans have been loving them. One example:the mad, mad tale of how Four Ambient Tales was written and recorded. Trust me, you'll be surprised (read the 'about this album' description) https://billieraymartin.bandcamp.com/album/four-ambient-tales
Best wishes from the BRM-Team.Some info about the new single: “After All”
Four track Digital release
Release date: 13 July 2014 (Germany: 11 July 2014)
Label: Disco Activisto Records
Catalogue no: DAREC1402
Distribution: billieraymartin.bandcamp.com
and all digital stores worldwide
Style: House (Chicago) A spontaneous idea while in a writing session with Dark Storm (aka Abdullah Al-Wali), Billie casually recorded demo vocals for this Bowie cover. To record the song had been on Billie’s ‘to do’ list for a number of years and Abdullah’s production vibe lent itself perfectly to the idea.
Billie and Abdullah had come together by chance, after Billie had received the Dark Storm album promo and replied that she loved it. Soon after, they got together for a week in Berlin to work on song ideas.
Billie had a certain sound in mind for the mix of ‘After All’ and managed to create something in the studio that surpassed her own expectations. Not designed to service dancefloors in an obvious way, it still manages to create a ‘back to the roots’ groove... anyone uttering Electribe 101?
Legendary House and Techno Pioneer Mijk van Dijk’s mixes give this release a serious old school house vibe with an Electribe 101 feel, while the chilled Caesar Gergess Dub adds the theremin (!!) and jazzy trumpet to the package.
Tracklist:‘After All’
Original version Mijk van Dijk remix Mijk van Dijk dub Caesar Gergess mix
Written by: David Bowie
Produced by: Abdullah Al-wali & Billie Ray Martin
Mixed by: Billie Ray Martin & Steve Honest at Hackney Road Studios
Additional Guitar: Steve Honest
billie ray martin disco activisto records
www.billieraymartin.com
***
And if you are interested in some rollicking phun queer coursework during the summer:
Summer Writing Workshops at the Kotti-Shop
All writers and their unique styles are welcome: Poets, Narrative, Broken Language, Essays, Correspondence, Scripts & Plays, Lyrics for Music.
No previous experience required.
at the Kotti-Shop - Adalberstr. 4 - www.kotti-shop.net / www.facebook.com/kottishop
60 € for all 6 sessions. All materials included.
Questions and registration at: ameliabande77(at)gmail.com
Wednesday's Workshop "Dancing with Words": Experimenting with writing in all forms. Everybody is welcome.
Wednesdays from 19:00 to 21:00 / 6 weekly sessions / Dates: June 4th to July 9th
(Find further details below)
Tuesday's Workshop "Read the Writing Electric": Write your own work while reading the work of others. For people who have a project (or several) in mind they want to work on / edit / receive feedback on / expand / share.
Tuesdays from 19:00 to 21:00 / 6 weekly sessions / Dates: June 10th to July 15th
(Find further details below)
.................................................................................................
WORKSHOP ONE: DANCING WITH WORDS
Language: English, though you can write in your preferred language.
Wednesdays from 19:00 to 21:00 / 6 weekly sessions / Dates: June 4th to July 9th
Every week we will work with a specific theme or assignment leading to a piece of written material. We will experiment with various types of writing while learning about rhythm, tone and the power of what we write about. During the workshop we will run a series of simple and practical writing exercises to help develop personal style and voice in the creation of texts from things we observe, experience or imagine. We will also write collectively, using cut-and-paste techniques.
This workshop wants to offer a safe space to write while learning how to give and take useful feedback. It doesn't matter if you already have a specific project you are working on, or if you just want to come and develop fragmented ideas. This will be 6 weeks of hard work mutating into a fun and experimental choreography of words.
.................................................................................................
WORKSHOP TWO: READ THE WRITING ELECTRIC
Language: English.
Tuesdays from 19:00 to 21:00 / 6 weekly sessions / Dates: June 10th to July 15th
Every week we will read or see the work of a specific writer (These will be short pieces: a poem, a youtube video, a story or fragment of a longer text). We will respond with simple written exercises and experiments that work with notions of plagiarism, appropriation, riot writing and total admiration. Also, participants will have the option to present their own texts to the group in respectful and illuminated feedback sessions. Projects in all genres and stages of completion are welcome. This workshop wants to be a safe and useful space for discussing written materials, expanding our understanding of what writing is or can be.
If you already took one of the Dancing with Words workshops before, I recommend you register for this one, it will be all new assignments and text experiments :) Some of the writers we might read are: David Wojnarowicz, Eileen Myles, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, Dante Alighieri, Assata Shakur, Raúl Zurita, Kathy Acker, Dead Prez, Walt Whitman, Lydia Davis, bell hooks, Mujeres Creando, Charles M. Schulz, the list will expand or shrink and is open to suggestions by participants.
"It is the experience of writing that matters. I am driven to write, compelled by a constant longing to choreograph, to bring words together in patterns and configurations that move the spirit. As a writer, I seek that moment of ecstasy when I am dancing with words". bell hooks in Remembered Rapture: Dancing with Words.
Register at: ameliabande77(at)gmail.com
***
Oh and one final little item from the British artist Elly Clark:
Portraiture & other stories
The George Richmond Portrait Project / Instantaneous Culture / Banff / and Skype
Dear friends, family, colleagues & collaborators,
This is a rather overdue newsletter about some of the things I've been up to over the past few months. Whilst last year was largely a year of exhibitions (including FRAME_birmingham & new site-specific commission Half Crowns in their Petticoats for Thrift Radiates Happiness at Birmingham Municipal Bank), 2014 is about production and development. Thanks to a generous R&D grant from Arts Council West Midlands, I have been able to gather more material for my ongoing George Richmond Portrait Project, and to go on shoots across the country visiting portraits and their current guardians.
GEORGE RICHMOND PORTRAIT PROJECT
(My great-great-great grandfather) George Richmond RA (1809-1896) produced over 3000 portraits during a career that spanned 6 decades. I am focussing on portraits that are still owned by the same families that commissioned them. Therefore the photographs I am taking and the audio I'm recording forms a kind of double portrait of a family; of those who are living and those who came before, and whose image/s (and stories) subsequent generations have lived with since then. Over the past 3 months my team and I have done a further 9 shoots - in Scotland, Northern England, the Midlands and London - with more planned for the summer. I have also spent some time delving through letters and diaries in the Royal Academy Archives.
You can see more about this project on the project website: georgerichmondproject.com and on Soundcloud, and follow our progress on Twitter (@GRProject_) and Facebook. (/GeorgeRichmondProject).
INSTANTANEOUS CULTURE
The other thing I've been working is a series of songs about the way we communicate. For a long time I have been obsessed with mobile phones, and, when they saturated the market, with their impact on us, our sense (and presentation) of self, and our relationships. I made my first piece about this in 2002 and in 2010 I wrote a series of songs about them, for my (now disbanded) band Theodor Storm in Berlin.
Now, in collaboration with a set of brilliant music/costume/set/camera/editing people from London, Berlin & Birmingham, I am working these songs into new forms, and making videos to go with them. The first, Instantaneous Culture, made in collaboration with a bunch of pretty splendid peeps in Berlin & London you can see here: http://vimeo.com/95290394.
DISTRIBUTED INTIMACIES at The Banff Centre
I am excited to have been granted a scholarship to participate in a three-week themed residency, entitled Distributed Intimacies, taking place at the Banff Centre in Canada next month to develop this work further. I will also be producing a series of prints from Conversational Traces.
And finally, I have works as part of two projects by curator Charlie Levine: a couple of short films in the Moving Image Project (shown so far in Tokyo, Christchurch & Baroda, India), and a rendition of Edward Lear's The Owl and the Pussy Cat for the Tale Tellers.
Many thanks for reading.
With best wishes,
Elly