We are very pleased to welcome C. Spencer Yeh back to Chicago—for what is sure to be epic and in fact experimental, as he works out some fresh ideas. The Brooklyn-based artist performs live with new video
work created for Lampo, and with other recent videos, Baby Birds, Eclipse, Scrub Study and a single channel composite of a previous multi-channel installation, IMVIS, comprised of randomly-playing clips of extended vocals, essentially simulating an infinitely intoning vocal trio.

About his approach-in-progress, he writes, “The main meat of what I’m presenting is basically live performances with video acting as not just a supplement, but as a rudimentary A.I.-type presence in live improvisation… In generating both pre-determined as well as indeterminate gestures, the videos act as both a ‘score’ as well as a sparring partner. The audio feed is placed on level aural ground with the musician’s signal.”

He continues, “It is important that the audio is diegetic, or ‘actual sound’—that the concrete and visceral connection remains. Overt processing of the video to achieve sound is used, but not processing of the signal to distance itself from the visual. With the same guiding principles in mind, I’m approaching my live sound contributions in the same method that I had been exploring for years, using electroacoustic means to enhance and magnify the phenomena of physical sound generation, primarily from the voice and violin.”

Here, Yeh also screens several of his movie trailers, made for Spectacle Theater in Brooklyn.

C. Spencer Yeh (b.1975, Taipei, Taiwan), studied film at Northwestern University in Chicago, lived in Cincinnati for many years, and is now based in Brooklyn. He is recognized for his musical project Burning Star Core, as well as many other individual and collaborative activities with artists such as Tony Conrad, New Humans with Vito Acconci, Thurston Moore, Prurient and Jandek. Current projects include The New Monuments (with Ben Hall and Don Dietrich), a yet-to-be-named quartet with Nate Wooley, Ryan Sawyer and Colin Stetson, and ongoing collaborations with Okkyung Lee, Graham Lambkin, John Wiese, Chris Corsano, Paul Flaherty, Lasse Marhaug, Eli Keszler and many others. Yeh has performed at events such as SONAR, Densités, All Tomorrow’s Parties, No Fun Fest and Frieze New York, and has also exhibited his visual and multimedia works at national and international venues including the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, ICA London, the New Museum in New York City, White Flag Projects in St. Louis, International Film Festival Rotterdam, La Casa Encendida in Madrid, and alt.gallery in Newcastle. In the video medium, Yeh has worked with artists such as Hair Police, Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu and LoVid.

Recent and upcoming recordings include a solo CD 1975 on Intransitive Recordings, a quartet LP with Anla Courtis, Jon Wesseltoft and Okkyung Lee on Feeding Tube, a quartet CD with Steve Swell, Paul Flaherty and Weasel Walter, a duo LP with Robert Piotrowicz on Bocian, a quartet LP with Nate Wooley, Paul Lytton and Okkyung Lee on PAN, and Transitions, his first full-length under the CS Yeh moniker on DeStijl.

C. Spencer Yeh has performed twice before at Lampo: in May 2009, in duo with Michael Johnsen, and solo in January 2007, when he presented Two Mouths Breathe as One and Amplified Violin.

Presented in partnership with the Graham Foundation; support provided by mediaThe foundation inc.