This cassette features two live recordings from a concert featuring Dan Graham and The Static at Riverside Studios in London in 1979. The first side contains a recording of Dan Graham performing Performer/Audience/Mirror; a seminal work in which he deconstructs the performer/audience relationship through the use of a four-phase monologue describing himself and his audience, using a wall-sized mirror to change perspective between the two. Only performed a few times (and not always by Graham), this piece changed each time it was performed based on the performer’s observations and his/her choice to execute all four stages. The second side of the cassette is a 41-minute live recording of the No Wave band The Static, who performed immediately after Graham’s performance. The Static rip through several songs including “Inspirez Expirez” and “Don’t Let Me Stop You,” which appear on the band’s lone release from the 70s, Theoretical Record. This cassette was originally published by Audio Arts in 1979 and also contains the original inner-sleeve interview between Dan Graham and William Furlong.

Dan Graham is an artist based in New York. Since the 1960s, he has produced a wide range of work and writing that engages in a highly analytical discourse on the historical, social, and ideological functions of contemporary cultural systems. Architecture, popular music, video, and television are among the focuses of his investigations, which he articulates through essays, performances, installations, videotapes, and architectural/sculptural designs. Graham’s writings on rock music were compiled and released as Rock/Music Writings by Primary Information in 2009.

The Static was formed in 1978 by Glenn Branca, Barbara Ess, and Christine Hahn. Chip Dyke briefly played second guitar. The band was born out of the ashes of the Theoretical Girls and Daily Life and was active through 1979, breaking up when Hahn moved to Berlin. Branca was the principle songwriter and played guitar, while Ess played bass guitar, and Hahn played drums. All three contributed vocals.

Audio Cassette
2.6 x 4 inches
79:53 minutes
Edition of 500
March 2016

—

Managing Editors: James Hoff and Miriam Katzeff