David First w/ Katherine Liberovskaya

Thursday, June 19, 20088:30 pm

David First (electric guitar/laptop) will premiere a new system of delays, tunings, loops and gestures inspired by the 108 movements found in Taoist Tai Chi in dialogue with Katherine Liberovskaya’s live visuals obtained through the combination of laptop processing with a real-time closed-circuit image capture and feedback setup using surveillance equipment and reflective items
in motion – recently developed for a self-generating video-audio installation created in Milano (O’artoteca November-December 2007)

Katherine Liberovskaya is a video and media artist based in Montreal, Canada, and New York City. She has been working predominantly in experimental video since the late eighties. Over the years, she has produced many single-channel videos, video installation works and video performances
which have been presented at a wide variety of artistic venues and events around the world. As of recent years her work – in single-channel and installation video as well as performance – mainly revolves around collaborations with new music composers/sound artists, notably Phill Niblock, Al Margolis/If,Bwana, Hitoshi Kojo, Zanana, and David Watson. Since 2003 she is active in live video mixing exploring improvisation with numerous live new music/audio artists including: Margarida Garcia, Barry Weisblat, o.blaat, murmer, André Gonçalves, Monique Buzzarté, Anthony Coleman, Giuseppe Ielasi, Renato Rinaldi, Alessandro Bosetti, Audrey Chen, Jason Kahn, Marina Rosenfeld, Anne Wellmer, among others. In addition to her art practice she has concurrently been involved in the programming and organization of diverse media art events, notably with Studio XX in Montreal
(programming coordinator 1996-1998, president 2001-2003), Espace Vidéographe, Montreal and Experimental Intermedia, NY (Screen Compositions 2005, 2006, 2007) as well as the OptoSonic Tea series with Ursula Scherrer at Diapason in NYC.

David First’s musical career is filled with opposites and extremes. As a composer he is known for his dense, mesmerizing drone structures which he performs sitting trance-like without seeming to move a muscle. At other times, he can be found playing guitar with his recently re-formed psychedelic punk band, Notekillers, where he is a whirling blur of hyperactive energy. First has been called “a fascinating artist with a singular technique” in The New York Times, “a bizarre cross between Hendrix and La Monte Young” in The Village Voice and “the next big thing in guitar gods” in Time Out NY. In 2007 he received a Commissioning Music USA grant from Meet the Composer, Inc. He has also received grants from the Foundation of Contemporary Performance Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Copland Foundation and the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust. Upcoming projects include a 3-CD retrospective of his drone-works on the XI label and a new Notekillers recording both to be released in early 2008.

David First w/ Katherine Liberovskaya

Thursday, June 19, 20088:30 pm

David First (electric guitar/laptop) will premiere a new system of delays, tunings, loops and gestures inspired by the 108 movements found in Taoist Tai Chi in dialogue with Katherine Liberovskaya’s live visuals obtained through the combination of laptop processing with a real-time closed-circuit image capture and feedback setup using surveillance equipment and reflective items
in motion – recently developed for a self-generating video-audio installation created in Milano (O’artoteca November-December 2007)

Katherine Liberovskaya is a video and media artist based in Montreal, Canada, and New York City. She has been working predominantly in experimental video since the late eighties. Over the years, she has produced many single-channel videos, video installation works and video performances
which have been presented at a wide variety of artistic venues and events around the world. As of recent years her work – in single-channel and installation video as well as performance – mainly revolves around collaborations with new music composers/sound artists, notably Phill Niblock, Al Margolis/If,Bwana, Hitoshi Kojo, Zanana, and David Watson. Since 2003 she is active in live video mixing exploring improvisation with numerous live new music/audio artists including: Margarida Garcia, Barry Weisblat, o.blaat, murmer, André Gonçalves, Monique Buzzarté, Anthony Coleman, Giuseppe Ielasi, Renato Rinaldi, Alessandro Bosetti, Audrey Chen, Jason Kahn, Marina Rosenfeld, Anne Wellmer, among others. In addition to her art practice she has concurrently been involved in the programming and organization of diverse media art events, notably with Studio XX in Montreal
(programming coordinator 1996-1998, president 2001-2003), Espace Vidéographe, Montreal and Experimental Intermedia, NY (Screen Compositions 2005, 2006, 2007) as well as the OptoSonic Tea series with Ursula Scherrer at Diapason in NYC.

David First’s musical career is filled with opposites and extremes. As a composer he is known for his dense, mesmerizing drone structures which he performs sitting trance-like without seeming to move a muscle. At other times, he can be found playing guitar with his recently re-formed psychedelic punk band, Notekillers, where he is a whirling blur of hyperactive energy. First has been called “a fascinating artist with a singular technique” in The New York Times, “a bizarre cross between Hendrix and La Monte Young” in The Village Voice and “the next big thing in guitar gods” in Time Out NY. In 2007 he received a Commissioning Music USA grant from Meet the Composer, Inc. He has also received grants from the Foundation of Contemporary Performance Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Copland Foundation and the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust. Upcoming projects include a 3-CD retrospective of his drone-works on the XI label and a new Notekillers recording both to be released in early 2008.

 

David First & Katherine Liberovskaya