Artists' Books

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Creation Date

2010

Keywords

artists' books; Now Hear This exhibition, fall 2023; sound recordings; poetry; spoken poetry; spoken word; ghazals; paintings (visual works); music; electronic music; collaboration

Description

A33, B33 leaves : color illustrations; 4 compact discs. Side A and Side B are inverted and bound tête-bêche style. United States dime is imbedded on the cover of side A. Concept & design by David Breskin. The accompanying spoken word CDs feature the author reading his ghazals, the texts of which are printed in this book. Side A: For Dave Hickey. Side B: For Kareen Rashad Sultan Kahn, February 12, 1987-August 6, 2007, in memoriam. SUMMARY "Dirty Baby" is a collaboration between the paintings of Ed Ruscha, the music of Nels Cline, and the poems of David Breskin. The title comes from the idea that when different art forms mate, the resulting offspring is no purebred but rather a wonderfully dirty and lovable mutt. The book is divided into two "sides" in the manner of a vinyl record: Side A offers a time-lapse history of Western Civilization; Side B charts the American misadventure in Iraq. The 66 Ruscha pictures in the book are drawn from two rarely seen bodies of work, the "Silhouettes" and the "Cityscapes," in which Ruscha uses "censor strips" in place of the words which normally occupy a prominent place in his pictures. Throughout, Breskin's lyrical verses, using the ancient Arabic form of the ghazal, serve as powerful companions to Ruscha's gorgeously reproduced paintings. To this mix Cline adds more than an hour-and-a-half of new music for a large ensemble: by turns rhapsodic and edgy, heartfelt and raucous, it ranges from acoustic impressionism to dense, dark electronica. Includes four CDs, two of music and two of spoken-voice poetry. Bookplate in recognition of Jean & Barnet Fain, for continued support of the College Annual Fund.

Curated title for RISD Archives & Special Collections exhibition Now Hear This, fall 2023.

RISD Fleet Library Catalog Record

https://librarycat.risd.edu/record=b1255995~S4

Press

Munich : Prestel

Rights

©Munich : Prestel

Materials / Techniques

compact discs; painting techniques

Measurements

31 x 31 cm

Dirty Baby / by Ed Ruscha, pictures ; Nels Cline, music ; David Breskin, ghazals.

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