Phill Niblock exhibition, Sketch Gallery, London, 20 January 2007 to 10 March 2007
 

"The Movement of People Working": An exhibition of the films and music by Phill Niblock
Sketch Gallery, 9 Conduit Street, London, W1S 2XG
20 January to 10 March, Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-5pm
Free admission

We are delighted to present, for the first time in the UK, most of the films from The Movement of People Working series by Phill Niblock. The films portray human labour in its most elementary form. Filmed between 1973 to 1991 in locations including Mexico, Hungary, Brazil, Lesotho, Portugal, China and Japan, The Movement of People Working focuses on work as a choreography of movements and gestures, dignifying the mechanical yet natural repetition of labourers actions. In parallel to the films, a wide selection of Niblocks slowly evolving harmonically minimalist music, composed between 1968 and 2006, will be playing continuously in the exhibition space.

The opening on January 20th will feature flautist/bassist Susan Stenger (Band Of Susans/Big Bottom) and guitarist Robert Poss (Band Of Susans), long-time performers of Niblock's music, playing a variety of his pieces (some of which were composed especially for them).

Read more about Phill Niblock at www.phillniblock.com.

Never heard of him. Sounds interesting. Checking his site now.

Never heard of him?? Slapped wrists for you!

This (G2 44+/X2) comes highly recommended by me, as long as you like drones.

Will see if I can find a download of that. Thanks.

me as being an asshole, saw his name in the touch records catalog but didnt care...

Thanks, Mr L. This'll be on my list of things to do when I make a soujourn to London in February.

For anyone who's interested, the opening performance on Saturday 20th January (12:30 to 14:30), featuring Robert Poss and Susan Stenger (both ex-Band of Susans) is free of charge. No advance booking needed, just turn up. Sketch Gallery is on Conduit Street, which is off Regent Street, more or less opposite Hamleys. Here's a website.

that sounds like they're exact same films as he's showing during his performances... in other words it's going to be just like a live performance apart from the fact that you're not watching phil niblock for 60 minutes sitting at his laptop, mouse in his right hand, chin resting in the left hand.

now i know that that was dumb criticism coming from someone who's seen him twice last year, but who both times really went for other artists who were on the same bill... because of course it's about the sounds, the drones, etc, etc, but i'm just saying that the physical appearance of him (the live setting) didn't add much to the experience for me. if they had just played (G2 44+/X2) on a nice surround sound system while playing his movies i would've been just as happy.

Do I have to go or can I just download it?

The opening of this was spoilt by the people who were there. Basically, it was full of arty cunts who like to go to openings so that they can be seen, and the exhibition or whatever is totally superfluous to that aim. They drank their wine, kissed each others cheeks, talked loudly and meaninglessly, and got gunned down by my imaginary machine gun. I left before Susan Stenger and Robert Poss played, I couldn't bear to spend any more time in the same space as this bunch of pseudo-intellectual twats.

It was a shame I felt like that, because the set-up of the exhibition is great. A square room, with three screens on each wall, each one with a different projection, and eight speakers, playing a rather beautiful drone, which filled the room wonderfully. "The Movement of People Working" is a project that Phill Niblock put together over a number of years, were he has filmed people doing manual labour, mostly in underdeveloped countries, and, combined with his music, the film of the working people is supposed to be like a ballet. I'm not so sure how well that part of it worked for me, but the room filled with drone was fantastic (until all the talking cunts turned up and spoiled it).

If you're in Central London any time in the next seven weeks, I'd recommend popping along to Sketch just to sit in the room and be washed over by the drones for half an hour or so, it's a very refreshing experience.

I will be checking it out tomorrow.Not surprised about the annoying arty types ruining it for you and i would imagine a lot of tight black jeans and 'hybrid' shoes were there to be seen and not seeing and listening.When was the last time that any of the musicians from Band Of Susans played here?I seem to remember that they did that thing with Justine from Elastica in the mid-90's but that's about it.

Susan Stenger is London-based, I think - she's married to Paul Smith, the guy who set up Blast First.