Phill Niblock

Analog photographic and film works from a key figure of the New York musical avant-garde

One of the great experimental composers of our time, Phill Niblock (born 1933) has during his more than 60-year career produced minimalist music, structural cinema, dance performance, improvised theater, systematic art and ethnographic photography. Since 1985, Niblock has served as director of Experimental Intermedia, a foundation for avant-garde music based in New York, and curator of the foundation's record label, XI. This catalog is devoted to Niblock's wide-ranging multimedia artworks, including series such as Six Films (1966-69), Environments (1968-72) and The Movement of People Working (1973-91). The films look at everyday work, frequently agrarian or marine labor, and are remarkable for their stark realism, striking juxtapositions and vivid colors. This thorough publication also features photographic documentation of the Open Theater; musicians Charles Mingus, Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington, Sun Ra and Arthur Russell; choreographers Elaine Summers and Muna Tseng; and conceptual artist Yoko Ono.