From January 15—19, 2020, the Berlin institution KW will showcase a selection of 24 “prepared pianos” by major avant-garde artists from the 1970s to the early 2000s commissioned by Italian collector and patron Francesco Conz.
The Archivio Conz, in collaboration with the KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, has announced Pause: Broken Sounds/Remote Music. Prepared pianos from the Archivio Conz collection – a five-day event and exhibition showcasing avant-garde artists’ “prepared pianos” selected from Italian collector and patron Francesco Conz’s collection. From January 15—19, 2020, the KW main exhibition space will be the stage for performances, tying the artworks to various contemporary approaches and explorations on sound.
Selected from a collection of over 65 “prepared pianos,” the 24 works in the exhibition are deeply tied to the history of the Archivio Conz. Under the direction of Stefania Palumbo and chief curator Gigiotto Del Vecchio, the Archivio Conz is dedicated to presenting and preserving the archive and publishing project of Francesco Conz (Cittadella, 1935 – Verona, 2010) – a significant patron and collector of Fluxus, Viennese Actionism, ZAJ, Concrete Poetry, and Lettrist works.
For five days, Pause: Broken Sounds/Remote Music will be activated through a series of performances examining various approaches to sound – extending it through poetry, movement, and musical experimentation.
Opening: 15 January 2020, 7 PM
Exhibition: 16—19 January 2020
Opening times: Wed, Fri-Sat 11 AM – 7 PM, Thu 11 AM – 9 PM
Events Program
Nina Kurtela
24 moments
15 January 2020, 7—9PM
16–19 January 2020, 11AM—7PM
Ongoing performance
Phillip Sollmann & Konrad Sprenger
Modular Organ System VII
16 January 2020, 6–9PM
Performance
Charlemagne Palestine
aaa gggangg gggustationn a Conz archive soundd tastingg
17 January 2020, 8.30PM (doors open at 8PM)
Concert
Angharad Williams
Eraser
18 January 2020, 6PM
Performance
Sky Walking
Free Improvisation
19 January 2020, 4–7PM
Performance
Image Credits:
Image 1. Ann Noël, Untitled, 1989/2001. Piano, color paint, paper labels, 110 x 115 x 50 cm. Courtesy of the Archivio Conz.
Image 2. Raša Todosijević, Untitled, 2004. Wooden walking canes on piano. 123 x 142 x 59 cm. Courtesy of the Archivio Conz.
Image 3. Benjamin Patterson, Piano d’oiseaux tropical, 1989. Piano, bamboo stool, artificial plants and fruits, oil paint. 185 x 260 x 115 cm. Courtesy of the Archivio Conz.
Image 4. Esther Ferrer, Pianos con alas, 1986. Piano, metal, fabric, white marker. 37 x 141 x 230 cm. Courtesy of the Archivio Conz.
Image 5. Arrigo Lora-Totino, Eine kleine Nacht – nicht Partitur, 1989. Piano, paper, wooden art plate, brushes, paper fan, paint. 161 x 130 x 51 cm. Courtesy of the Archivio Conz.
