I was reminded recently about one of the last times I meet up with Tony Conrad…it was in Madeira off the coast of Portugal.
I wrote this shortly after he passed….
Here’s five things Tony Conrad taught me.
Ideas are everything, be curious
minimalism is not about less, it’s about deeper
structure and frame are places for play, nothing is fixed
humour is paramount (in life)
be restless
Still miss you Prof….
When I was 8 or so, my father told me to close my eyes and listen to the world. For anyone who has heard me speak about listening, I often use this exchange as a means of recognising how individual moments linger in life and in time. The incidental can forge the ongoing, and for me this small gesture opened a wholly new way of knowing the world.
This is but one of the many great things this man has passed to me during his time on this planet. His kind, gentle and generous way of coming at the everyday, and everyday people, is something I will carry forward with me for the rest of my days.
Thanks dad. RIP, you have earned it. You were indeed one of the good ones… xo
(This image taken by me – I am guessing – when I was 10 or maybe 12. Probably using Dad’s Yashica…out looking for birds as we often were.)
Atonal festival, Berlin 2015
Dedicated to our friend Paul.
