Synapse Knowledge: Amaury Cornut on Moondog, Lydia Lunch, Tomáš Šenkyřík

Synapse Knowledge, MeetFactory's series of educational events focused on all things music, returns in September with a programme dedicated to the legacy of avant-garde composer Moondog; the key figure of New York's no wave scene Lydia Lunch and Tomáš Šenkyřík's meditative soundscapes recorded in South Moravian forests, parks, wetlands and swamps. The day will round off with François Mardirossian's piano concert celebrating Moondog's compositions, and Pulse Wave's ambient performance. Info about the concert can be found here.

Tickets:
200 CZK for lectures
390 CZK for lectures + concert (to be purchased here)

Programme — Lectures

Amaury Cornut: Moondog throughout the 20th century
14:30, Studio 22

Moondog. The Viking of Sixth Avenue, avant-garde music genius, blind composer born as Louis Thomas Hardin in 1916, who was recognized by Philip Glass and Steve Reich as the initiator of their own sonic revolution to come, but also admired by artists such as David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Benny Goodman, Charlie Parker, Leonard Bernstein, Arturo Toscanini or Igor Stravinsky.

His singular approach bridged the gaps between the art of free jazz improvisation, the science of harmony, polyphony and counterpoint and intuitive approaches to rhythm-building inspired by the indigenous music of North America into a body of work that pioneered the concept of minimalism in music.

Amaury Cornut, the author of Moondog's biography and a passionate promoter of the artist's legacy, will hold a lecture on Moondog's life, work and inspirations. The lecture will be followed by an evening piano concert with François Mardirossian dedicated to Moondog's work.

Lydia Lunch: Artists – Depression, Anxiety & Rage
16:30, Studio 22

Lydia Lunch is a pivotal figure of New York no wave scene of the late 1970s, a punk poet, actress and independent music icon whose work concerns sexual violence, social deviance, nihilism, and drug excesses. Her work typically features provocative and confrontational noise music delivery and has maintained an anti-commercial ethicoperating independently of major labels and distributors. 

Lunch was behind the formation of the seminal NYC band Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, starred in a number of avant-garde movies (eg. her early appearances in Guerrilla Talks by Vivienne Dick or Richard Kern's Submit to Me), and has collaborated with the likes of Nick Cave, Rowland S. Howard, Die Haut, Sonic Youth or Einstürzende Neubauten.

Synapse Knowledge will present Lunch's short film Depression, Anxiety & Rage, followed by a Q&A with the artist.

"Jasmine Hirst and I have spent the past two years interviewing musicians, artists, and writers about their lifelong struggles with mental health. The roots of depression run deep. We explore the devastation caused by childhood trauma, neglect, poverty, malnutrition, genetics, chemical imbalance, and existential angst. With this documentary, we strive to present hope to anyone who suffers from depression, anxiety, or rage in the knowledge that they are not alone."

Tomáš Šenkyřík: Deep Listening Session
18:00, Studio 22

Tomáš Šenkyřík, Czech musicologist passionate about acoustic ecology and musical structures in nature, will present his field recordings in four-channel spatial audio. Focusing on the sounds of South Moravia, he points out that sonic adventures begin right beyond the doorsteps of our homes. We just need to keep our ears open to the soundscapes that surround us every day.

A four-channel listening session with accompanying words by the author takes us through South Moravia's forests, wetlands and swamps, parks in the middle of the city with its endless oscillation.