About the show
The Post Contemporary Records Store is an ongoing curatorial project examining the intriguing connections between visual art and vinyl music culture.
The advent of digital recording at the end of the 20th century appeared to be the death knell for vinyl records and other physical music media. Recently, the resurgence of vinyl music and turntables in the second decade of the 21st century has been explained through many theories. But perhaps the most compelling reason for their comeback is that our increasingly digitized world has produced a corresponding rise in our appreciation and valuation of these objects, in no small part because of their physicality, their object-ness.
Turntable design and–to a greater extent–album cover design have had a long association with visual art. Take for instance, that the 12-inch album cover has been a prized canvas for many artists, and that the format has at various times been called an artform unto itself. This iteration of the Post Contemporary Records Store, then, features recent works by artists who are currently exploring the possibilities of working with turntables and vinyl records. Seth Scriver (Toronto) uses found album covers as the basis for his airbrushed portraits; Neil Feather (Baltimore) creates kinetic works from modified turntables; Margaret Noble (San Diego) mines abandoned lectures and field recordings for her Reductionist Records; Rutherford Chang (NYC) compiles and archives copies of the Beatles’ iconic recording for his White Album project; the Vinyl Vagabonds (Eric and Sara Gordon) (D.C.) create new narratives out of composite album covers; and Vaunita Goodman (Baltimore) will perform a new work featuring turntables and projections. Additional artist contributions from past iterations of the Post Contemporary Record Store will be on view in a special flat file, including works by Alex Batson, Johanna Biehler, and Hannah Burstein.
The Post Contemporary Records Store opens with a reception Friday, December 15, 6-10 p.m. and runs through January 27. A performance and artist talks with The Vinyl Vagabonds, Neil Feather, and Vaunita Goodman will take place in January.
about the artists
Seth Scriver is a Toronto-based author, filmmaker, and artist. Through books such as Stooge Pile, films such as Asphalt Watches, and painting series such as Endless Wipe, he combines personal experiences with his own aesthetic sensibility to produce witty yet accessible work.
Neil Feather has been involved in Baltimore’s cultural scene since 1985, becoming a founding member of the Red Room Collective and the High Zero Foundation. Equal parts sound mechanic and artist, he creates radical and unusual musical instruments using both engineering principles and visually arresting aesthetics. neilfeather.com
Margaret Noble is a California-based artist creating interactive, multi-sensory sculptures and installations layered in sound and gesture. Using recycled objects, raw materials, and circuitry, her work explores human and material relationships modulated by technology. Originally influenced by her background as an electronic music DJ, much of Noble’s work now resides at the intersection of sound, sculpture, installation, and performance. margaretnoble.net
Rutherford Chang is a New York City artist exploring strategies of cataloging, documenting, and reorganizing to produce works that at once highlight the banal while also capturing a narrative. Using various formats, including video, installation, sound, and performance, the artist’s work often examines the media and its effect on popular culture. rutherfordchang.com
The Vinyl Vagabonds (Eric and Sara Gordon) travel far and wide documenting and collecting vinyl records. From their secret headquarters in the D.C. area, the two combine their love of art and music to write about the triumphs and tragedies involved in vinyl music, while also creating unique zines, prints, and other works inspired by this culture. vinylvagabonds.blogspot.com
Vaunita Goodman is a Baltimore-based artist and educator. Drawing on both her experiences living around the world and her background in theater, she presents performances using vinyl records and projected video that highlight various cultural facets of the contemporary African diaspora.