I have written before on this site about the impact of attending the Punkt festival in Kristiansand, Norway, for the first time in 2011, drawn there by David Sylvian’s involvement as Artist in Residence. There were so many first experiences, hearing musicians play live whose work I have subsequently taken time to explore and which I have found to be tremendously enriching. On the opening evening alone there was Arve Henriksen, John Tilbury, Evan Parker, Sidsel Endresen and Philip Jeck. All gave performances in an art gallery surrounded by David Sylvian and Atsushi Fukui’s installation Uncommon Deities. Recorded readings by Sylvian and live recitations of the Norwegian originals by both Paal-Helge Haugen and Nils Christian Moe-Repstad were interspersed with the music, Sylvian observing proceedings from the sound desk at the rear of the space. What a line up to have in one room.
‘Philip Jeck studied visual art in the 1970s and has been creating sound with record-players since the early ’80s,’ read the introductory artist biography in the festival brochure, ‘working with many theatre and dance companies and playing with musicians/composers such as Jah Wobble, Steve Lacy, Christian Fennesz and Gavin Bryars. He has released nine solo albums, the most recent An Ark for the Listener on the Touch label…In 2009 he received a Paul Hamlyn Artists Award for Composers and in 2011 a Prix Ars Electronic Award of Distinction.’
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