Art Metropole

01 Dec. 2006

NATURE: THIS IS A RECORDING

by Andrew Zealley

Artist

Andrew Zealley

Art Metropole is pleased to announce the publication of NATURE: THIS IS A RECORDING, an audio edition by Toronto sound artist Andrew Zealley. Originally created in 1990-1991, Zealley’s sound piece was conceived to accompany an exhibition of visuals by artist Robert Flack. The new audio release is published in an edition of 250 signed and numbered copies and is specially packaged to include an audio CD and giclee print edition of Flack’s ETHERIC DOUBLE (1990-1991). NATURE: THIS IS A RECORDING is released on Friday December 1, 2006 – A DAY WITHOUT ART – signifying the continuing impact of HIV-AIDS on international contemporary art communities for more than two decades. The edition is priced at $40.

NATURE: THIS IS A RECORDING is organized in seven primary sections, signifying the seven chakras as depicted in Flack’s EMPOWERMENT image series. Their combined audio-visual installation explored new gallery territory when it debuted in January 1991 – creating what one reviewer at the time described as, “transforming the space from gallery to shrine/dance club, and also altering the experience of viewing the artwork from largely visual to more physical.” EMPOWERMENT was a transitional project in the career of Flack, a shift to more serious terrain after the artist tested HIV+ in the late 1980s. Flack died of AIDS-related causes in October 1993.

The new audio edition is released to coincide with the exhibition of NATURE: THIS IS A RECORDING, at The National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa), November 21, 2006, through February 7, 2007. The sound has been remastered and edited for the exhibition, and includes a new 16-minute remix track, entitled LOVE MIND.

NATURE: THIS IS A RECORDING conveys Zealley and Flack’s original creative perspective – a vision that “embodies ideas that integrate the body and mind as transformational tools” (Artists’ Statement, OUT Magazine No.9, January-February 1991).

“This score evolved out of the transitional period between the 1980s and the ’90s,” says Zealley. “To me, the ’80s are the least forgiving where music is concerned. But there is an exuberance in this music – a primal energy and a momentum. This sound operates as a snapshot – retaining a deeply personal aura despite the camp and drama.”

About the Artist

NATURE: THIS IS A RECORDING was Zealley’s first cross-media collaboration. He has, in the ensuing years, created sound to accompany art installations by AA Bronson, Luis Jacob, Chrysanne Stathacos, Stephen Andrews and others. His film scores have graced the work of John Greyson, Scott Treleaven and, more recently, Joey Medaglia. In August, Zealley participated in Ultra-red’s SILENT LISTEN performance piece at the AGO, and presented an interactive artwork for NUIT BLANCHE in September in Toronto. He also produces work under the name PSBEUYS.

Andrew Zealley is a Toronto-based artist whose work expands beyond audio and music methods to inform mixed disciplines and media. His practice has been situated at the shifting nexus of HIV/AIDS, queer identity, and the body since 1990. Zealley s audio installation, Nature: This Is A Recording, is in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Canada. He has recordings published by labels Art Metropole, Fine & Dandy, How To Explain Silence To A Dead Hare, Old Europa Cafe, Public Record/Ultra-red, Tourette Records, and Vague Terrain. Zealley holds an MFA in interdisciplinary studies from OCAD University. He is currently pursuing doctoral research through the Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University; Program of Study: Safe and Sound: Art, Queer Listening, and Biopolitics of HIV/AIDS.

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NATURE: THIS IS A RECORDING by Andrew Zealley.

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