Photo by Fabio Roberti

Lary 7, A Tip of the Hat

Born in Buffalo, New York, Lary 7 is a multimedia alchemist who coaxes profane, inscrutable sounds and images from various mysterious devices. His work mainly features vintage and forgotten electronic instruments and technologies. In the past he has taken the unique approach of modifying household appliances in order to give them a musical voice. As an artist, he uses analogue equipment whenever possible, steering away from digital.

Lary 7's work has been related to the uncertain outcomes of a magician or scientist determined to see his projects through to their (il)logical ends. He is a co-founder of Plastickville Records and has been a major figure in the New York experimental underground music scene since 1970. In the course of the past decades he has worked on exceptional musical projects with diverse artists, such as Jimi Tenor, Jarboe, Foetus, Tony Conrad, Alexander Hacke, Larry Mullins, Dorit Chrysler, Bernhard Gal, Jakob Kirkegard, Kent Montgomery, Michael Evans and Gordon Monahan.

A Tip of the Hat (to the 20th Century) is his evolving laboratory of sound and curiosities here at the Clocktower.

Through the month of September, Lary 7 will be a resident in our sound studio working on a selection of experimental sound recordings in collaboration with other sound artists. Come by to see his tower of rotating speakers and his strange and wonderful array of equipment.

September Open House, Open Studios

Join us as we open the studios of our three resident artists; Zeljko McMullen, Lary 7 and Maximillian Lawrence-- three multidisciplinary artists working in sound, light, installation and performance. The "Ensemble of Seven" perform semi-improvised experiments in our main gallery, featuring Lary 7 (double bass), Mia Theodokatus (harp), Masami Tomihisa (percussion), Michael Evans (percussion), and Patrick Holmes (clarinet). Zeljko McMullen is a Brooklyn based artist who works primarily in Electronic music composition, video, installation and performance art. Through musical recordings, video ritual and live performance, McMullen attempts to explore the polarity between presence and absence, being and non-being, place and non-place, and the solid and the intangible. Maximillian Lawrence has worked with print making, sculpture, sound installation and light installation. Through his use of unique materials such as; acrylic nails, synthetic hair, beading, wire and electrical circuits, Lawrence explores modern day societies' fascination with consumerism.

Maya Hayuk reception & Uumans performance

Maya Hayuk unveils a blacklight-reactive environment that has taken over her residency space, allowing the viewer to float through her neon world of patterns made from paint and pasted paper. The reception features a live performance by Uumans, and affords the viewer the opportunity to sink even deeper into the mind state that allows her to form these abstract spaces. Hayuk earned a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She's gained notoriety for her colorful, dynamic and abstract murals, paintings and screen prints. Characterized by symmetrical compositions and intricate patterns, such works recall traditional Ukrainian crafts, space travel and bizarre spiritual landscapes. She combines advanced painting techniques with the pursuit of psychedelic experience through visual form, so that her work appears to have been made with a carefully studied carelessness; languid, paint drips give way into swaths of color, while rigid geometric shapes open out into free forms. Uumans is a project lead by Chicago native Matthew Mehlan that mixes music, dance, video, and arts and crafts. Mehlan is also involved with experimental band Skeletons and runs the record label Shinkoyo.

Power Switch: The 9 Lives of Electronic Music

Hijacked from Jeannie Hopper's Liquid Sound Lounge show on WBAI, this segment features musical samples and discussion about Roulette's 2016 Festival of Mixology, the annual event that highlights new and unusual uses of technology in music and intermedia. This year's series is titled Power Switch: The Nine Lives of Electronic Music and runs 16-20 Feb. 2016, featuring nine artists/ensembles over 5 days. Concerts feature masters in the art of of Theremin, synthesizer, sampling, glitch, appropriation, film and video interface, analog processing, circuit bending, and DJ technology. Hopper is joined by curator David Weinstein, the co-founder of Roulette and producer of the first Festival of Mixology over 25 years ago, and Weston Minissali, the synth half of the duo Trumpet Trumpet Synthesizer. Here is a quick peek at the programs: Dorit Chrysler // DJ Dog Dick Tuesday, February 16, 2016, 8pm Val-Inc // Trumpet Trumpet Synthesizer Wednesday, February 17, 2016, 8pm Z'EV: CINEmotion // Lary 7 Thursday, February 18, 2016, 8pm