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Sunday, June 22, 2008
Ken Butler’s DAI concert brings art, music together
Visual art and experimental music collided together on a local stage Sunday afternoon when Ken Butler, the featured artist at the Dayton Art Institute exhibition “KEN BUTLER: Hybrid Visions,” gave a special concert on his found-object hybrid instruments.
At least 40 people were waiting in line to get tickets five minutes before show time, so it was no surprise that a packed DAI auditorium would greet us for a near sell-out show or that the show would be slightly delayed (only 15 minutes) in order to get folks wishing to attend ticketed and seated.
It was worth the wait.
Joining Butler on the stage was percussionist Erich Reith who works at the DAI. When Butler was visiting Dayton he met Reith, and invited him to accompany him on stage after finding out Reith played the Dumbek — a Middle Eastern drum.
While not always “easy” on the ears, it was always interesting to listen to.
Each of the instruments Butler showcased was played in multiple ways during each of the six pieces performed. There was some plucking, bowing, scratching, picking, thumping, strumming and wacking … if there was a noise to be found in his hybrid instruments, Butler found a way to coax or beat it out of them before it was all over.
Recording and looping notes he was playing on stage, the mesmerizing set was attention grabbing not only due to the odd and surprising instruments being paraded, but Butler’s expert use in handling them during the Middle Eastern infused jams.
Butler’s work, which challenges the ideas and perceptions we have both about art and music, merged them together. Hybrid instruments creating a hybrid sound creating a hybrid experience.
Seeing a golf club being plugged into an amp is surreal, but the music that it produced during Butler’s piece entitled “Par 12” was pretty incredible. His innovative techniques and experimental instruments helped create a textural wall of sound with layered loops recorded live, sandwiched on top of each other.
And a golf club was tame. He played an umbrella. He played a paint brush and then did one better with a toothbrush. Butler even hooked up his slacks to a mic and gave a mini-concert unzipping his pants.
He ended the just-over-one-hour show by sticking a microphone in his mouth and hitting his head like a drum with dramatic effect. In a very funny finale Reith and Butler joined forces and hands for a jam session on Butler’s skull.
The intensity, depth and tune of each wild instrument was distinct and took on a life of it’s own. The roughly 500 in attendance will probably never look at a golf club, tennis racquet or shovel the same again, which is probably just what Butler had hoped to achieve.
“KEN BUTLER: Hybrid Visions” continues through Aug. 10 at the Dayton Art Institute. Call (800) 296-4426 or visit www.daytonartinstitute.org for more information.
See photos of the exhibit here.
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