New Songs: Oceanic, Monument to the Unimaginable (Overture), Olympia, The Man Suicided by Society

I have recently completed four new compositions: Oceanic, Monument to the Unimaginable (Overture), Olympia, and, The Man Suicided by Society.

You can hear them here:

http://soundcloud.com/paul-amlehn

Photograph by David Lynch.

Collaboration with Faust

Krautrock band Faust have been using my pre-recorded vocals in their live performances recently.

New Composition for A Walk to the End of the World

Where Is He Now? is a spoken word composition with text by William S. Burroughs, vocals by Jarboe (Swans), and effects and treatments by Ghazi Barakat (Pharoah Chromium), and myself.

The composition is from my forthcoming album of music: A Walk to the End of the World, with texts and vocals by William S. Burroughs, courtesy of his Estate.

You can hear four tracks from the album here:

https://soundcloud.com/amlehn-burroughs

MONSTERS OF GOD

MONSTERS OF GOD is a Protean music performance unit.

Each incarnation of the ensemble, will be different to the last, with a changing cast of musicians. The band will perform once in each of its incarnations, and once only, then die, and from its ashes, be reborn, in a completely different form. Its death spasms will become its birth convulsions.

The music will always be improvised with no prior prearranged notions, concepts, or structures, and no rehearsals or planning of any kind.

MONSTERS OF GOD will go through seven metamorphoses, manifesting seven performances, and then will cease to exist.

The musicians will be drawn from different fields of music: ambient, industrial, noise music, free jazz, gothic rock, avant-garde, and neoclassical. Each configuration of the ensemble, will be a response to, and reaction against, the previous one.

There is a war behind all things, between the forces of light and darkness, and the clash of these two armies will be heard in the performances of MONSTERS OF GOD.

Come, you, and bear witness to what manifests...

MONSTERS OF GOD Video

Two excerpts from a performance by the first iteration of MONSTERS OF GOD, filmed by Blandine Massiet Du Biest.

All music was improvised in the moment without any predetermined arrangements or rehearsal.

Select the 1080P HD setting for optimal viewing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1HyVzSdH8Q

MONSTERS OF GOD Formation

Announcing the formation of my new music ensemble: MONSTERS OF GOD.

Singing Performance in Auckland

A recent singing performance in Auckland, New Zealand.

Interzone

To mark the occasion of W.S.B's birthday, a composition from my project: A Walk to the End of the World, a forthcoming album of music with texts and vocals by William Burroughs.

My thanks to James Grauerholz and the Burroughs Estate.

https://soundcloud.com/amlehn-burroughs/interzone

Spoken Word Performance

A recent spoken word performance in Auckland, New Zealand.

The Apocalypse of Adam

I have just completed my second album: The Apocalypse of Adam.

Musicians playing on the album are: myself, Reinier van Houdt (Current 93), Thomas Stern (Einsturzende Neubauten), Mally Harpaz (Anna Calvi), Bryin Dall (Thee Majesty), Ulrich Krieger (Lou Reed), Eleonor Sandresky (Philip Glass Ensemble), Larry Thrasher (Psychic TV), Eberhard Kranemann (Kraftwerk), Michael Johnson (Joy Division), Ju Suk Reet Meate (Smegma), Robert Fripp (King Crimson), Daniele Pagliero (Lo Dev Alm), and, Michael Begg (Human Greed).

The cover art for the album is by Kate Manheim.

You can listen to The Apocalypse of Adam here:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXDd9XG0glObr8UW2V7u9lXRXkMkIBNuR

Traum und Trauma Print Works Exhibited at LOT 23

I'll be exhibiting a number of my Traum und Trauma (Dream and Trauma) print works at LOT23, from November 13th to December 2nd.

Several of the Traum und Trauma works were previously published in Static, the journal of the ICA, the Science Museum, and the TATE.

One of the works was also exhibited last year at Luhring Augustine Gallery, in New York, along with works by Vito Acconci, Kiki Smith, John Baldessari, and Ed Ruscha.

New Image From L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from my feature film L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere.

With Patricia Morejon.

New Image From the Silver Lake Shoot for L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from the Silver Lake Shoot for my feature film L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere .

With David Yow.

Adonai: New Photo-Painting Works

Preliminary scans of the first new Photo-Painting works created in seven years: Adonai 1, and: Adonai 2.

New Extract From L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new extract from my feature film L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere.

Please select the 1080p HD setting for optimal viewing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcfLMDmrZN0

Work Continues on the Paul Amlehn and William S. Burroughs Project: A Walk to the End of the World

A new composition: Towers Open Fire, from the Paul Amlehn and William S. Burroughs album: A Walk to the End of the World.

https://soundcloud.com/amlehn-burroughs/towers-open-fire

Extracts From L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere Screened at the Free International Forum in Italy

Five extracts from my feature film L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere, will be screened at the Fifth Free International Forum, in Bolognano, Italy.

The Forum was founded and is curated by the Baroness Lucrezia De Domizio Durini, who worked with Lucio Fontana and also collaborated with Joseph Beuys.

The Director of the Forum is Emanuel Dimas de Melo Pimenta, a musician, architect, and intermedia artist, curator of the Sao Paolo Biennial and long time collaborator of John Cage.

The Forum manifesto states: "Despite the cultural, intellectual and moral crisis that holds the entire planet in its grasp, there are still men who see free creativity as the only way to live in peace with themselves and to act in accordance with the fundamental principles of Humankind and Mother Nature. Thanks to this very outlook, a "network of steel" has developed over the years, constantly welcoming new disciplines and explorations, figures of different nationalities and generations, all united by a free, undiminished creativity that translates into deep, unfettered knowledge, giving rise to transactions governed by a supportive, unconstrained collaboration. Such men, with their unstinting, unceasing work, their wise and independent efforts, move beyond the standard systems of consumer society, striving through their conduct - the one effective means of Communicating the Truth - to improve society."

My film will be screened along with films on John Cage, Marcel Duchamp, and Merce Cunningham, in the Durini Chapel, near the Paradise Plantation of Joseph Beuys.

New Image From the Cote d'Opale Shoot For L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from the Cote d'Opale Shoot for my feature film L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere. With Julie Delarme, Anne Leman, and Julie Delarme. Cinematography by Nathalie Blanc.

Work In Progress on L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

Work in progress on my feature film L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere.

VB56-25E (Chapel Perilous)

This year, I was invited to take part in the 56th Venice Biennale.

After a period of reflection and deliberation, I made the decision to decline the offer.

In 2005 and 2013, I exhibited work at the 51st and 55th Venice Biennales. Since then, the situation in the art world has continued to worsen, to the point I feel I can no longer take part in the Venice Biennale.

Much of the work that is promoted by dealers and museums and festivals at this point in history is characterized by banality and surface. It is work that limits and closes down consciousness in the individual, rather than opening up and amplifying it. There is another kind of art, however, that is capable of acting as a catalyst for transformation. This is an art that can aid us in the realization and actualization of our potential both as individuals and as a species. This is the art I have dedicated my life to making.

Instead of exhibiting at the Biennale, I will be putting a selection of my work in literature, music, photography, installation, and film, onto two hard drives. I will then choose two people, a man and a woman, using the international phone directory and a random number generator. The hard drives will be sent to these two people and will constitute a private exhibition for them.

This gesture of refusal, becomes a fertilizing event, which gives birth to a new exhibition. One that is, related to, but, separate from, the 56th Venice Biennale. The Biennale can be considered the parent organism in terms of the exhibition, which then splits from its host, metamorphoses, and is reduced to a binary locus of two individuals, individuals selected at random from outside of the nexus of the art-world.

This action returns the art-making and exhibiting process to its vocational origins, where I serve the source of inspiration and impart the work to an audience as a gift, rather than a commodity exchanged for money or fame.

There are many problems that need to be resolved in the contemporary art infrastructure, which are also mirrored in society as a whole, where the few manipulate, dominate, and subjugate, the many.

This needs to change, and I believe it will.

In the meantime, I will continue to strive to create work that is as great as I can possibly make it. And do my part in working towards a new society, a new world, where the spirit of creativity, justice, and humanity reign.

Extracts From L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere Placed in the Walden Zero Project Collection

Five extracts from my feature film L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere, have been placed in the Walden Zero Project collection, alongside works by Joseph Beuys, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, and Bill Viola.

Amlehn Fripp Jeanrenaud - Saudade

From 2008-2012, I worked on a project with guitarist Robert Fripp (King Crimson), and cellist Joan Jeanrenaud (Kronos Quartet).

The project was to consist of a number of soundscapes with spoken word by myself. I wrote several texts which Joan responded to musically along with Robert's soundscapes. In the end, I decided the works functioned better as instrumentals without my voice.

You can hear the results here:

https://soundcloud.com/amlehn-fripp-jeanrenaud

New Extract From L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new extract from my feature film L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere.

Please select the 1080p HD setting for optimal viewing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0yjj5PgfNA

New Image From the Ormes Shoot For L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from the Ormes Shoot for my feature film. With Patricia Morejon. Cinematography by Nick Millet.

New Image From the Valparaíso Shoot For L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from the Valparaíso Shoot for my feature film. Cinematography by Erwin Scheel.

New Image From the Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse Shoot For L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from the Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse Shoot for my feature film. With Eva Hernandez. Cinematography by Hanna Sparkle.

Ten Extracts From L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

Ten extracts from my feature film L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere.

Please select the 1080p HD setting for optimum viewing.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXDd9XG0glOZOt9CYXqs3XV1jcDR7VEvO

New Image From the Puys Shoot For L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from the Puys Shoot for my feature film. With Kate Moran (Peter Greenaway). Cinematography by Damien Blottiere. Couture by Aganovich. Video treatments by Paul Amlehn.

New Image From the Silver Lake Shoot For L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from the Silver Lake Shoot for my feature film. With David Yow.

New Image From the Oslo Shoot For L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from the Oslo Shoot for my feature film. Cinematography by Janne Hoem (The Living Theater).

New Image From the Bilbao Shoot For L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from the Bilbao Shoot for my feature film. With Irene Bau, Cesar Sarachu (the Quay Brothers), and Asier Sarachu. Director of Photography Cristobal Baigorri, Assistant Director Imanol Ortiz, Editor Irene Bau, Lighting Technician Quique Gago.

New Image From the Normandy Shoot For L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from the Normandy Shoot for my feature film. With Daphne Baiwir (Catherine Breillat). Cinematography by Sebastien Cruz.

New Image From the London Shoot For L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from the London Shoot for my feature film. With Katell Daunis (Lucile Hadzihalilovic). Cinematography by Salome Duringer.

New Image From the Madrid/Venice/Paris Shoot For L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from the Madrid/Venice/Paris Shoot for my feature film. With Maud Wyler (Abdellatif Kechiche). Cinematography by Pablo Garcia Canga.

New Image From the Westensee Shoot For L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from the Westensee shoot for my feature film. With Maxine Kazis (Theater Kiel). Cinematography by Cyril E. Kazis.

New Image From the Copenhagen Shoot For L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from the Copenhagen shoot for my feature film. With Anne Louise Hassing (Lars von Trier). Cinematography by Leif Ascanius Sol.

New Image From the Los Angeles Shoot For L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

A new image from the Los Angeles shoot for my feature film. With Kate Fisher (Robert Wilson). Cinematography by Eli Rarey.

New Images From the Copenhagen Shoot For L'Enigme du Desir: Ma Mere, Ma Mere, Ma Mere

New images from the Copenhagen shoot for my feature film. With Anne Louise Hassing (Peter Greenaway). Cinematography by Leif Ascanius Sol.

Photo-Painting Work Exhibited at Postcards from the Edge at Luhring Augustine

One of my works: Traum und Trauma 14 (Detail), will be exhibited at Luhring Augustine gallery in New York, in the Postcards from the Edge show with art by Vito Acconci, Kiki Smith, John Baldessari, Catherine Opie, Ed Ruscha, Lawrence Weiner, and others.

All proceeds from sales of the work go to Visual AIDS, an organization that raises awareness about AIDS and supports artists living with the disease.

Sound Art Works at the 55th Venice Biennale

Earlier this year, two of my sound art works were exhibited on a lathe cut polycarbonate record at the 55th Venice Biennale. The work was presented as part of the Road to Nowhere panel discussion at the University of Venice.

The sound art works on the disc where: The Snow of Your Name, with music by myself, Ariel Lorca, Eleonor Sandresky (Philip Glass Ensemble), Mick Rossi (Philip Glass Ensemble), and David Crowell (Philip Glass Ensemble); and: Oannes (Reprise), with music by myself, Ariel Lorca, Julia Kent (Antony and the Johnsons), Jem Finer (The Pogues), and Andrew Sterman (Philip Glass Ensemble).

You can hear one of the compositions here:

https://soundcloud.com/paulamlehn/oannes-reprise

This is the second time my work has been presented at Venice. In 2005, one of my text works, Untitled, was exhibited at the Isola della Poesia, at the 51st Venice Biennale.