A newly restored, conceptual audio work by Acconci, Running Tape is an endurance piece made in New York's Central Park in 1969. Acconci runs, counting each step; a tape recorder captures his counting and breathing.
Alternating between an English lesson, in which a French-speaking man and woman translate English phrases, and short "samples" of what Acconci calls "the voice of America" — movie soundtracks, Creole singers, honky-tonk piano — The American Gift investigates the problematics of translation and nationality.
In this newly restored audio piece, Acconci plays both the teacher and the student, enacting a series of lessons that offer an idiosyncratic take on the ideological underpinnings of American education and society.
Ten Packed Minutes, a newly restored audio piece, is an eclectic collage of music, text, found sounds, and excerpts from the recordings of Leon Redbone, Cow Cow Davenport, Eric Dolphy, Karl Berger, and Ornette Coleman.
Originally installed in makeshift "house" painted red, white, and blue, this provocative audio piece features Acconci addressing imaginary characters — Mama, Daddy, Big Brother, Sister, and Jesus — in a singular take on the American family.
Description
This boxed set features five of Acconci's seminal audio works from the 1960s and '70s. These early conceptual audio works, on five CDs, were restored by EAI.
Running Tape is an endurance piece that Acconci made in New York's Central Park on August 26, 1969, as one of a series of what he terms "tape situations."
Alternating between an English lesson, in which a French-speaking man and woman translate English phrases, and short "samples" of what Acconci calls "the voice of America" (movie soundtracks, Creole singers, honky-tonk piano), The American Gift investigates the problematics of translation and nationality.
In Under-History Lessons, Acconci plays both teacher and students to enact a series of short lessons, offering an idiosyncratic take on the ideological underpinnings of American education and society.
Ten Packed Minutes is an eclectic audio collage of music, text, found sounds, and excerpts from the recordings of Leon Redbone, Cow Cow Davenport, Eric Dolphy, Karl Berger, and Ornette Coleman.
Originally installed in a makeshift "house" painted red, white, and blue, The Gangster Sister... features Acconci addressing imaginary characters in a singular take on the American family.
