David Cunningham
Encyclopedia
David Cunningham lives and works in London
. Cunningham's work has ranged from pop music
to gallery installations, including work for television, film, contemporary dance, and a number of collaborations with visual artists. His first significant success came with The Flying Lizards
' single 'Money', an international hit in 1979.
Since 1993 he has created a continuing series of installation works based on real time exploration of acoustics. 'The Listening Room', Biennale of Sydney (1998) was followed by 2 installation works in "Days Like These", The Tate Triennial of Contemporary British Art, Tate Britain 2003 and subsequent installations at ICC Tokyo, Ikon Birmingham and Camden Arts Centre London.
Following his first album release 'Grey Scale' in 1976 he has worked as a composer
and record producer
; engaging with a range of people and music, from rock groups (This Heat
, Owada) to improvisors (David Toop
, and Steve Beresford
), to Michael Nyman
's music for Peter Greenaway
's films, plus work with Ute Lemper
and others. More recently he has produced Joanne Robertson's 'The Lighter', released 'One Hundred' (Staubgold 2009), a collaboration with saxophonist Yasuaki Shimuzu and curated 'A lot of pianos...', a performance of 7 new compositions for up to 20 pianos.
Live performance has involved collaboration and performances with John Cage
, Kathy Acker
, Michael Nyman
, Peter Gordon, Pan Sonic
, Michael Giles
, Scanner
and others.
Music for film and television has included Ken McMullen's films Zina
and (in collaboration with Michael Giles
and Jamie Muir
) Ghost Dance
, and a series of television collaborations with visual artists which has included John Latham
, David Hall
, Stephen Partridge, Bruce McLean
.
Related work includes the production and treatment of sound for installation and broadcast artworks by Martin Creed
, Brad Butler and Karen Mirza, Sam Taylor-Wood
, Susan Hiller
, João Penalva, Ian Breakwell
, Gillian Wearing
and many others.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Cunningham's work has ranged from pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
to gallery installations, including work for television, film, contemporary dance, and a number of collaborations with visual artists. His first significant success came with The Flying Lizards
The Flying Lizards
The Flying Lizards were an English experimental rock band, who were formed in 1976 in England. They are best remembered as New wave one-hit wonders, thanks to their deliberately eccentric cover of Barrett Strong's "Money", which became a UK and US chart success in 1979.-Career:Formed by and led by...
' single 'Money', an international hit in 1979.
Since 1993 he has created a continuing series of installation works based on real time exploration of acoustics. 'The Listening Room', Biennale of Sydney (1998) was followed by 2 installation works in "Days Like These", The Tate Triennial of Contemporary British Art, Tate Britain 2003 and subsequent installations at ICC Tokyo, Ikon Birmingham and Camden Arts Centre London.
Following his first album release 'Grey Scale' in 1976 he has worked as a composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
; engaging with a range of people and music, from rock groups (This Heat
This Heat
This Heat were a British experimental music group formed in early 1976 in Camberwell, London by multi-instrumentalists Charles Bullen , Charles Hayward and Gareth Williams .This Heat were active in the ascendancy of British progressive rock and punk rock, but stood apart...
, Owada) to improvisors (David Toop
David Toop
David Toop is an English musician and author, and as of 2001 was visiting Research Fellow in the Media School at London College of Communication. He was notably a member of The Flying Lizards. He was a prominent contributor to the British magazine The Face. He is a regular contributor to The Wire,...
, and Steve Beresford
Steve Beresford
Steve Beresford is a British musician who graduated from the University of York. He has played a variety of instruments, including piano, trumpet, euphonium, double-bass and a wide variety of toy instruments, such as the toy piano. He has also played a wide range of music...
), to Michael Nyman
Michael Nyman
Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
's music for Peter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway, CBE is a British film director. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular...
's films, plus work with Ute Lemper
Ute Lemper
Ute Lemper is a German chanteuse and actress renowned for her interpretation of the work of Kurt Weill.- Biography :Born in Münster, Germany, Ute Lemper was raised in a Roman Catholic family. She joined the punk music group known as the Panama Drive Band at the age of 16...
and others. More recently he has produced Joanne Robertson's 'The Lighter', released 'One Hundred' (Staubgold 2009), a collaboration with saxophonist Yasuaki Shimuzu and curated 'A lot of pianos...', a performance of 7 new compositions for up to 20 pianos.
Live performance has involved collaboration and performances with John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
, Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker was an American experimental novelist, punk poet, playwright, essayist, postmodernist and sex-positive feminist writer. She was strongly influenced by the Black Mountain School, William S...
, Michael Nyman
Michael Nyman
Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
, Peter Gordon, Pan Sonic
Pan sonic
Pan Sonic was a Finnish experimental electronic music duo consisting of Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen.-Music:...
, Michael Giles
Michael Giles
Michael Giles is an English drummer, best known as a co-founder of King Crimson in 1969...
, Scanner
Robin Rimbaud
Robin Rimbaud is an electronic musician who works under the name Scanner due to his use of cell phone and police scanners in live performance...
and others.
Music for film and television has included Ken McMullen's films Zina
Zina (film)
Zina is an award-winning film by director Ken McMullen. It tells a story of a twentieth century Antigone, Zinaida Volkova , daughter of Leon Trotsky. In 1930s Berlin, Zina is being treated by the adlerian psychotherapist Professor Arthur Kronfeld...
and (in collaboration with Michael Giles
Michael Giles
Michael Giles is an English drummer, best known as a co-founder of King Crimson in 1969...
and Jamie Muir
Jamie Muir
Jamie Muir is a UK painter and former percussionist, best known for his work in King Crimson.-Biography:Muir attended Edinburgh College of Art during the 1960s and began playing jazz on trombone before settling on percussion....
) Ghost Dance
Ghost Dance (film)
Ghost Dance is a 1983 British film directed by Ken McMullen. This independent film explores the beliefs and myths surrounding the existence of ghosts and the nature of cinema.-Plot:...
, and a series of television collaborations with visual artists which has included John Latham
John Latham (artist)
John Aubrey Clarendon Latham, was a British conceptual artist who lived for many years in England. He believed that violence and conflict between the people of the world is the result of ideological differences...
, David Hall
David Hall (video artist)
David Hall is a British video artist, whose pioneering work did much to establish video as an art form.-Life and work:David Hall attended Leicester College of Art and the Royal College of Art. During the 1960s he worked as a sculptor and showed his work internationally...
, Stephen Partridge, Bruce McLean
Bruce McLean
Bruce McLean is a Scottish performance artist and painter.McLean was born in Glasgow and studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1961 to 1963, and at St Martin's School of Art, London,from 1963 to 1966...
.
Related work includes the production and treatment of sound for installation and broadcast artworks by Martin Creed
Martin Creed
Martin Creed is an artist and musician. He won the Turner Prize in 2001 for Work No. 227: the lights going on and off, which was an empty room in which the lights went on and off.-Life and work :...
, Brad Butler and Karen Mirza, Sam Taylor-Wood
Sam Taylor-Wood
Samantha "Sam" Taylor-Wood OBE , born Samantha Taylor, is an English filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist. Her directorial feature film debut came in 2009 with Nowhere Boy, a film based on the childhood experiences of The Beatles songwriter and singer John Lennon...
, Susan Hiller
Susan Hiller
Susan Hiller is an American-born artist who lives in London, UK. Her art practice encompasses installation, video, photography, performance and writing.-Early Life and Education:...
, João Penalva, Ian Breakwell
Ian Breakwell
Ian Breakwell was a world renowned British fine artist. He was a prolific artist who took a multi-media approach to his observation of society...
, Gillian Wearing
Gillian Wearing
Gillian Wearing OBE RA is an English conceptual artist, one of the YBAs, and winner of the annual British fine arts award, The Turner Prize, in 1997. On 11 December 2007, Wearing was elected as lifetime member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London....
and many others.