Negativland was asked to be guest editor of MAGNET this week, which poses a challenge to such a large collective of members with extremely disparate tastes and obsessions. Members Peter Conheim and Mark Hosler came forward to share what’s been on their minds lately and, indeed, what’s informed their thoughts and work over the years. The group’s new album is entitled It’s All In Your Head and, being entirely about faith, monotheism and why humans believe in God, comes packaged inside of an actual King James Bible. And while religion and intolerance are posing the biggest and toughest dilemmas facing the world today—well, excepting that climate business—Negativland will focus instead this week on such things as sounds, pictures and books. And the impending death of everything due to digital technology.
Mark Hosler: The undefinable and delightful bat-shit insanity of animator/appropriator/musician Cyriak is not to be missed. His latest from this summer, Malfunction, may be my all-time favorite of his. It visually feels like it is coming from the same universe as the earliest work of Negativland in the 1980s, pure suburban dada surrealism, yet still feels like it’s about something that is burrowed deep in one’s brain struggling to get out! And you may not survive when it emerges. Technically, Cyriak’s use of music, and matching of color, hue and film grain with the CGI stuff he adds, the way the whole thing structurally repeats and develops and expands as you watch it … it’s all genius! His attention to creepy and unexpected visual details makes repeat viewings a must. Note the car door spanking the person loading groceries in the parking lot.
Video after the jump.
