Michael Snow's The Last LP is an extraordinary collection of tracks “of rare music derived from threatened, obsolete, or now-extinct cultures from around the world” that although the claiming of being field recordings of ancient musical experiences, are in fact pieces played, conceived and recorded by the artist himself.
As it was for
Music For Piano, with this issue the Canadian artist further developed his conceptual investigation around the object-LP where the single elements (the record, the music, the text and the jacket) are so indissolubly intertwined to create what the artist calls a “sonics-sculpture-text”. Partly motivated by the announced obsolescence of the vinyl format,
The Last LP is also a critical reflection on the impact of new technologies on the relationship between played and recorded music.
Prolific and multidisciplinary,
Michael Snow (1929-2023) was a major figure in the fields of
painting,
sculpture,
photo,
cinema, and
video, as well as in
sound and
music. He made his first film in 1956, while his status as an international
avant-garde filmmaker was consecrated in 1967 by
Wavelength. His work features at most major international art events.
