Conrad Schnitzler conducting, photo courtest Gen Ken Montgomery

Conrad Schnitzler: Film & Music

An evening of videos featuring Conrad Schnitzler (Tangerine Dream, Kluster, multi-channel audio pioneer, anti-establishment cultural iconoclast), some never seen before. Among these is a videotaped conversation with Gen Ken Montgomery in which the artist extrapolates on the piano compositions he called "The 88 Game". Recorded in 1993, this personal, unedited recorded in Schnitzler's Berlin studio shows his charismatic humour, wit, and wisdom. Also in this program: "Räume" by Jürgen Boettcher (1970), short films from Conrad’s archives and a video document from his legendary intermedia performance "Mittwochaktivate" at Mike Steiner Gallery, Berlin 1975, where Schnitzler paints his face in black and white.

This event is produced by the Clocktower as part of the 2012 mini-festival of events honoring the life and work of the musical and artistic pioneer who died in 2011 organized by Gen Ken Montgomery, a longtime friend and collaborator of Conrad Schnitzler. Other events take place at Anthology Film Archives, Audio Visual Arts (AVA) Gallery, and Harvestworks. For details on the event schedule visit con-mythology.com.

The Black & White of Conrad Schnitzler

Gen Ken Montgomery tells David Weinstein the story of art and life that was sound pioneer Conrad Schnitzler. A longtime friend and collaborator of the Berlin-based visionary, Montgomery walks us through the early days (with Joseph Beuys), his psychedelic and Krautrock period (founding member Tangerine Dream, Kluster), stubborn individualism and outsider lifestyle, creative use of technology, and the imaginative, influential, foretelling of the emergence of sound as a key component in art. The program is loaded with musical examples including tracks from Tangerine Dream and Kluster, Rot from 1974, The 88 Game recorded in New York at Roulette in 1984, the CONcert LP of 1985, Conal from 2001, Endtime (his last recording) and a revealing message left on Gen Ken Montgomery's voicemail. This program was produced in parallel with an evening of videos featuring Conrad Schnitzler, some never seen before, shown at the Clocktower as part of the 2012 mini-festival of events honoring the musical and artistic pioneer who died in 2011. You can read more about this screeening and other events organized around the celebration HERE.