Spaceworks at The Tank presents
BENT 2005:
The Second Annual Circuit Bending Festival
Spaceworks at The Tank is pleased to present BENT 2005: The Second Annual Circuit Bending Festival. Poised at the intersection of the hot arts-and-craft movement, a tendency towards nostalgia, and a new generation of artists searching for identity and placement in a digital age, this four day festival from April 27-30, 2005 will bring together musicians, performers and visual artists from around the world who not only push the circuit bending genre forward but are on the cutting edge of the contemporary music scene. In addition to performances, a number of circuit bending workshops will be offered to those wanting a hands-on learning experience.
The term circuit bending refers to the act of modifying the circuitry of battery-powered children’s toys to create new and unintended sounds for creative purposes. This new art form is quickly growing in popularity as it offers an affordable and culturally referenced path into the creation of electronic music. A direct result of experimentation and “play”, circuit bending requires very little technical know-how to get started, making this genre of music accessible to a wider audience curious about electronic music. “The first truly digital generation is coming of age, and even as they forge ahead into new territories, they are able to look back with appreciation, and to some degree, amusement, at the simple but evocative technologies they grew up with,” says spaceworks co-curator Mike Rosenthal. “All of a sudden bending, which has been around for almost a quarter of a century, is on everyone’s mind.”
With sponsorship from Electronic Musician Magazine and MTV, media attention from The New York Times and the BBC, and active participants attending from all over the world, last year’s circuit bending festival was a massive success. “The outpouring of encouragement for another festival this year was too great to ignore and we are happy to once again be hosting this creative and growing community,” says spaceworks co-curator Daniel Greenfeld. “What seemed like a fringe movement proved captivating to hundreds of people because it made the daunting notion of experimenting with electronics accessible and fun.”
BENT 2005 will take place at The Tank, a midtown space for performing and visual arts, emphasizing new work by emerging performers, artists, directors, writers, and producers. Located at 432 West 42nd street, between 9th and 10th Avenue. Events prices for the festival will range from free to $10.For more information about BENT 2005, please visit www.thetanknyc.org/bent2005/ or call Mike Rosenthal or Daniel Greenfeld at 212-563-6269.