Ken Butler

Ken Butler

Ken Butler, 2002
Background information
Birth name Kenneth Lee Butler
Born August 3, 1948
Bethesda, Maryland United States
Genres Experimental art and music
Occupation(s) [[Artist][Musician]], Performance artist
Years active 1967–present
Labels Tzadik Records
Associated acts John Zorn
Laurie Anderson
Butch Morris
Matt Dariau
Website Ken Butler's Hybrid Visions

Kenneth Lee "Ken" Butler (born August 3, 1948) is an artist and musician, as well as an experimental musical instrument builder. His Hybrid musical instruments and other artworks explore the interaction and transformation of common and uncommon objects, altered images, sounds and silence.[1] The idea of bricolage, essentially using whatever is “at hand”, is at the center of his art, encompassing a wide range of practice that combines live music, instrument design, performance art, theater, sculpture, installation, photography, film/video, graphic design, drawing, and collage.

He is internationally recognized as an innovator of experimental musical instruments created from diverse materials including tools, sports equipment, and household objects.[2]

His works have been exhibited and performed in galleries, clubs, museums, festivals, and theatres throughout the USA, Canada, and Europe including The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and Lincoln Center and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City as well as in South America and Japan.[3]

Early life

Butler studied viola as a child and maintained a strong interest in music while studying the visual arts at Colorado College and in France at The Institute for American Universities in Aix-en-Provence, completing his MFA in painting from Portland State University in 1977. He moved to New York City in 1988 from Portland, Oregon.[4]

Collaborations

In the past and currently Butler has worked with artists like John Zorn, Laurie Anderson, Butch Morris, The Soldier String Quartet. Butler has released an album on John Zorn's label Tzadik Records, performed in many places among which the Knitting Factory.[5][6]

Media Appearances

His works have been reviewed in The New York Times, The Village Voice, Artforum, Smithsonian, and Sculpture Magazine and have been featured on PBS, CNN, MTV, and NBC, including a live appearance on The Tonight Show.[7]

Discography

Film & Video Production

Career Highlights

References

External links