Volume: Bed of Sound
July 2, 2000 - Janurary, 2001

Opening July 2, 12-6pm

for sound clips and artist bios click here

Long Island City, NY (June 7, 2000) -- Opening July 2, 2000, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center will present Volume: Bed of Sound, an encompassing exhibition of sound works in an unusual setting. Sound art is presented in two sections. Works by approximately 60 sound artists are experienced through headphones while lying on New York’s largest futon bed. In an adjacent space, sound is experienced collectively through loud speakers for casual or prolonged listening. Additional artists will be featured in an audio archive in P.S.1’s cafe.

Volume explores the roots of sound discovery, and allows the audience to draw parallels to the live DJ's and performances in the outdoor Warm Up series. Comprised of audio-pieces on compact disc, the indoor exhibition will combine essential historical works such as the sound effects tracks from Apocalypse Now! by Oscar-award-winning sound designer Walter Murch and a compilation of excerpts from sound pieces by Vito Acconci along with audio works by contemporary artists addressing the current trend of 'sound art'. Among the many highlights and firsts of Volume will be world premiere pieces by Laurie Anderson Ryuichi Sakomoto, AACM founder Muhal Richard Abrams, disc jockey Steinski, the Finnish electronic group PanSonic, Sonic Youth, Throbbing Gristle founders Chris & Cosey, Matt Heckert of Survival Research Laboratories, and a new "music box" project by composer Butch Morris.

Participating artists include:

Muhal Richard Abrams, Vito Acconci, Maryanne Amacher, Laurie Anderson, David Behrman, Ed Campion/Andrew Ginzel/Kristin Jones, John Cale, Joel Chadabe, Chop Shop, Chris & Cosey, Cibo Matto, Beth Coleman, Nicolas Collins, Tony Conrad, ”Cubanismo!, Alvin Curran, Chris Cutler, Tod Dockstader, John Duncan, Fischerspooner, Yamataka Eye, Ellen Fullman, Matt Heckert, John Hudak, I-Sound, Phil Kline, Keenan Lawler, Arto Lindsay, Alvin Lucier, Paul de Marinis, Kaffe Matthews, Genken Montgomery, Ikue Mori, Impossible Music, Butch Morris, Walter Murch, Phill Niblock, Carsten Nicolai/Noto, Genesis P-Orridge, Bob Ostertag, John Oswald, Pansonic, Zeena Parkins, Daniel Pflumm, Lou Reed, Vernon Reid, The Residents, Frank Rothkamm, Ben Rubin, Adriana Są, Michael Schumacher, Howard Shore/Ornette Coleman/LPO, Sonic Youth, Steinski, Carl Stone, Telectu, Frances-Marie Uitti, Carl Michael Von Hausswolff, London Wainwright, and Lauren Weinger.

The audio archives will include a CD jukebox which will feature influential compilations of sound works by the Futurists, Zona, Harry Smith archive, Just Another Asshole, State of the Union, Murmurs, and Tellus, as well as seminal pieces by such composers as Edgard Varese, Iannis Xenakis, Lejaren Hiller with John Cage, Toru Takemitsu, Jerry Hunt, Harry Bertoia and David Tudor.

Volume: Bed of Sound is made possible thanks to the generous support of Maria Rosa and Gilberto Sandretto.

Volume is curated by P.S.1 Director Alanna Heiss and Elliott Sharp with curatorial advisor’s Russell Haswell, John Head, and agnčs b. The exhibition is designed by P.S.1 Senior Curator Klaus Biesenbach and realized by Wendell Walker.

As a complement to Volume, installations by Ugo Rondinone, Christian Marclay, Pipilotti Rist, and Jonathan Bepler will also be on view.