We are aware that TWR is often a bit London centric, since that’s where Jane and I spend most of our time, so it’s exciting to be able to talk about something happening in the beautiful town of York. It’s so pretty that I might have to move there, it won me over with its beautiful architecture, fabulous cultural and good junking (AKA antiques and junk shop trawling). Then you learn there’s a Betty’s tea shop, I had almost put my house on the market by the time I left.
I also met one of my favourite blogging friends Belgian Waffle IRL, as she has got ahead of the trend and already moved to York, which was a complete treat. As I sat chatting to a York resident at the station before catching my train back (locals seem very nice indeed) thousands of people got off the London train, presumably to enjoy a weekend in the town. ‘What’s going on this weekend?’ I said to my new friend, ‘Oh, it’s like this every weekend’ she said,’ it’s a popular place.’
Last week I helped Middleagedad install his Bureau Of Found Audio Objects (BoFaO) in the gorgeous York Art Gallery as part of When All Is Quiet, Kaiser Chiefs In Conversation With York Art Gallery, an exhibition investigating sound and art.
Base player for Kaiser Chiefs and Yorkshire lad Simon Rix, had seen M.A.D’s BoFaO graduation show, loved it and asked if he could do a version featuring ‘lost’ LPs for the opening of the exhibition. M.A.D obliged and spent the week blasting his 70s record player as loud as it would go in the entrance hall of the gallery, gathering stories about music from visitors and generally enjoying himself hugely.
The Kaiser Chiefs’ exhibition is a unique look at music and art, investigating how the creative boundaries blur between sound and the artistic practise and what happens when you mix them up. It is Simon and drummer Vijay Mistry, above with M.A.D, who have been the main drivers behind the innovative project, both are keen art fans, although Ricky Wilson is the art graduate of the band, having taught graphic art in Leeds before things took off musically for them.
When All Is Quiet, Kaiser Chiefs In Conversation With York Art Gallery, Janet Cardiff Installation, image by Anthony Chappel-Ross
It’s a clever and thoughtful exploration of sound from a band who work intensely within the medium, and it’s not something to rush, as there’s much music to appreciate. The extraordinary Janet Cardiff work The 40 Part Motet, above, is worth the ticket price alone – a 40 choral voices singing out of 40 free standing speakers which you can move through to totally immerse yourself in the soaring harmonies. For some reason this made me quite teary.
When All Is Quiet, Kaiser Chiefs In Conversation With York Art Gallery, image by Anthony Chappel-Ross
There’s also deep listening (a thing, who knew?) from Pauline Oliveros and Mark Leckey’s film on British nightlife Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore, to take your time over, as well as a collaboration between sound sculptor (again, who knew?) Maryanne Amacher and Sonic Youth’s Thruston Moore with Daytrip Maryanne.
When All Is Quiet, Kaiser Chiefs In Conversation With York Art Gallery, image by Anthony Chappel-Ross
But my favourite section is where the band have rifled through the Gallery’s art collection to curate work that they personally love alongside their pick of the perfect track to view it with, which works well because the band have excellent musical taste. So you can stand and look at a cracking John Hoyland while listening to The Cure’s A Forest. A few people exited the room determined to pick tracks for all their art at home, as the resulting connections are so satisfying when you get them right.
When All Is Quiet, Kaiser Chiefs In Conversation With York Art Gallery, image by Anthony Chappel-Ross
The most innovative installation is Silent Gig, a reimagining of the band’s on-stage experience without the sound. By highlighting the incredible lights and colour-scapes they create within their shows and the emotive power of song lyrics (projected into the space), they have created an immersive moment of stage ‘wow’ as art.
When All Is Quiet, Kaiser Chiefs In Conversation With York Art Gallery, image by Charlotte Graham
It gives you an insight into the creative impact a rock concert can have even without any noise, and probably means you wont look at a concert light show in the same way ever again.
If you are near York this festive season I’d urge you to visit, the exhibition is on until March 2019. Although M.A.D will not be there in person, an edited display of his BoFaO is still in place and you can make your bid for an album. The museum (which has an excellent cafe) also holds the most divine collection of ceramics from Dame Lucy Rie and Bernard Leach, among others and is a real joy of a place to visit. More info here.
Bands moving into curation usually works better than it sounds, because they choose from instinct rather than from a thesis — and the Kaiser Chiefs have always had a strong sense of place, which is really what curation is. What I would want from the piece is whether the selection felt like their records or like a departure. (I run a small product, toonbee, and read this mostly for the culture writing.)
York as the setting already does a lot of work here — it pulls the piece out of the usual London loop. The Kaiser Chiefs-as-curators angle is odd in a good way, especially with that middleagedad aside sitting next to the art-show write-up.
York winning you over on architecture, junk-shop trawling and a Betty’s stop before the Kaiser Chiefs even enter as curators is the right order. The London-centric disclaimer at the top actually makes the York show more interesting — a band turning art-curator in a quieter city is a better story than another Shoreditch opening.
Kaiser Chiefs as art curators is a better middle-aged-dad plot than another reunion tour recap. TWR owning the London-centric bias up front also makes the Leeds angle land instead of feeling like a detour.
Fun idea for a band to curate an exhibition. I like how music and visual art feed off each other here.
York sounds like a town best seen slowly. The architecture and the junk shops are easy to miss if you rush between trains. I have been using a tai chi walking pace on city days, short steps and a quieter head, and it fits a place like this.
York as a setting for the Kaiser Chiefs turning art curators is a nice break from the usual London-centric culture diary. The architecture winning you over before the exhibition even starts feels true to that city. I would rather hear the show described at walking pace than summarized as a celebrity cameo.
Kaiser Chiefs curating in York is a better excuse to leave London-centric arts coverage than another Shoreditch opening. The architecture, junk shops, and Betty’s almost selling a house is the right texture for a middleagedad detour. I’d still want which rooms they actually chose — “art curators” only lands if the hang is specific, not a celebrity walk-through.
I absolutely loved this post! The blend of music and art curation really resonates—it’s so refreshing to see artists branching out. It reminds me of how my friends and I explore creativity in unexpected ways too. Thanks for sharing such a thoughtful perspective!
What a lovely idea to have a band curate an exhibition rather than just lend their name to it. York really does win people over, and you’ve made me want to plan a weekend there just for Betty’s and a bit of junking. I’d be curious which piece in the show surprised you most, since the curator’s choices usually say a lot about the band.