An exibition’s broschure with a Shure stylus?
What’s happening?
To mark the 60th anniversary of the vinyl record, the exhibition presents the sound archives of the Marzona Collection with 300 selected artists’ records. Associated books, musical scores, posters, design sketches and photographs provide context.
The LP record offered previously unimaginable possibilities for artists to preserve and publish their work. Recording, cutting, fading, mixing and layering by way of a spool of audio tape enabled the creation of acoustic scenarios that had before been unrealisable. As a storage device of voice and sound the record brought with it the promise of authenticity, the direct presence in an acoustic sense, of the speaker, singer or player.
This promise of ‘high fidelity’ even became a popular advertising slogan of the day. Several artists then began recording their own voices on audio tape and having them pressed in vinyl, as well as designing the cover and label of the record themselves and distributing records under their own labels.
The radical change this brought about around 1960 in artistic practices was a surprisingly fresh response – even in today’s familiarity with rapid change – to technological innovations and commercial advertising. Also new was the decentralisation in the forms of LP distribution, and attempt by artists to make the medium work to their own advantage.
concept & photography by Benjamin Weymann
the museum: http://www.smb.museum/smb/kalender/details.php?lang=en&objID=16720&p=0&typeId=10
visitor info: http://www.smb.museum/smb/kalender/details.php?lang=en&objID=16720&p=1&typeId=10