Peter Irish

After traveling Europe and Africa for several months, and living in Rome, Italy and Marrakesh, Morrocco, we arrived back in the states right before quarantine for Covid.  Due to travel restrictions and gallery closings, my first gallery show in Rome is on hold indefinitely.   Cate and I have now settled in Tulum, Mexico, to spend time exploring the jungles and cenotes, and to soak up the history and rich artistic culture of the Mayans.  This is an art town and culture; street art is everywhere and the people and friendly and welcoming.

I had the extreme pleasure of attending the opening reception of David Tibet’s first art gallery show in the United States, “The Invocation of Almost” on March 9th, 2019 at the CSUF Begovich Gallery in Fullerton, California. Cate and I drove out early from Colorado to hang out in California, and attend a private walk through of the show, and David’s birthday party, on Tuesday before the opening. On Sunday we went to the Huntington Library, Museum and gardens, and by sheer synchronicity, we ran into David, his manager Mark Lewis, and gallery show curators Jackie Bunge and Shaun Richards on the grounds.

On Tuesday we attended the private walk through, which was an incredible opportunity to spend quality time with both David and the work, and really get to soak in the dreamlike, hallucinatory atmosphere of the show. Curators Jackie and Shaun did an amazing job creating a show worthy of David’s vision, and combined with the new soundtrack, it was a full sensory, nearly overwhelming, experience in the best of ways. The art itself, and it’s presentation with lighting, layout, music and video, transports you to another world. David’s drawings, paintings and sculptures are numerous, and exude an aura of magic and mystery. This environment is the best way to experience David’s art. The beings, creatures, demons, children, ghosts and visions in the art come alive in the space; they are there with you as you walk through the strange land of the show, whispering in your mind, eyes and ears. Also displayed are some of David’s notebooks, including the notebooks he wrote “The Light is Leaving Us All” and “Sleep Has His House” in, and pages from “Soft Black Stars”, which are beautiful to view, and give a glimpse into the process of the creation of those masterpieces. After the walkthrough, we enjoyed some of David’s birthday cake and had food and drinks to celebrate David’s birthday.

The Reception on Saturday, March 9th was a scene worthy of the special nature of this event. Along with food and wine, there was a string quartet playing Current 93 songs. Hundreds of people showed up, with lines out the door, and the curator’s talk was standing room only, the walls lined with people. Jackie, Shaun and David spoke about the work, the show, and their cats. I was particularly moved by Jackie’s story about how, after thinking about the possibility of a gallery show of David’s work, she had a dream that she was walking through the show, with David, holding a copy of the book representing the show and work. The next morning, she contacted David, and began to make it a reality. The people who attended this show were a mix of the most interesting and creative people you can find in one place, and we made many new friends. The show has been a huge success, and is so far the definitive statement on David’s work as a visual artist. Spending quality time with David and his work, along with Mark, Jackie and Shaun, was incredibly fun and profound, and inspiring to say the least. Luckily, a documentary is being produced on David and the show itself, for which I did a short interview. Congratulations and deepest gratitude to Jackie Bunge and Shaun Richards for creating a life changing experience for all who were there, and for honoring David as he truly deserves. Biggest congratulations to the most inspiring of humans, my friend David Tibet, for making the world more beautiful and mysterious through your expression of words, music, visuals and presence. As Jackie said in her curator’s talk, David is one of the geniuses of our time. We are lucky to have this exhibition here in the United States for a magical moment. “Invocation of Almost” is open at the CSUF Begovich Gallery, 800 N. State Collage Blvd., Fullerton CA until May 25th, 2019. Do not miss it. It was beyond worth the 30 hour round trip drive we made to attend.

Cate, David, and myself

I first discovered the sound explorations and artistry of my friend Johann Wlight, aka itdreamedtome, through my research into underground experimental music. One of my passions is finding the most interesting music made by artists who cannot be neatly categorized into any specific genre. I came across Johann’s latest work, “A.Y.”, recorded under his current alias, “itdreamedtome” on Trome Records out of England. Trome is an independent label who releases music by artists working in the area of drones and minimalistic soundscapes. They specialize in high quality, limited edition releases of underground artists, which is what I search for and really appreciate.
I listened to the A.Y. album, and immediately realized I was dealing with a work of the highest level of experimental music and exploratory sound. I was instantly drawn to the frequency of the music and how it made me feel. The depth and subtlety of the music was evident, and far beyond the majority of most ambient/drone/experimental music I explore. Obviously this was a piece of art that was made with the utmost care and sophistication. The soundscapes brought me to a state of mind that I am always searching for through this type of music, yet rarely achieve. I felt myself stretched out, entering deeper areas of myself, relaxed yet alert, with feelings of both emptiness and fullness, mystery, and moments of sublime beauty. I was instantly hooked, and I wanted more.
Luckily I ordered the physical copy of A.Y. before it sold out; a limited edition of 50 CDr copies in a hand made Fluxus-style assemblage box, with 12 page booklet with art by Johann and matchbox containing iron pyrite! The presentation was a work of art itself, even without the music. I learned that this release was the first in a decade from Johann, and I knew I needed to explore as much of his work I could get my hands on.

Johann was very active and well ahead of his time in the UK underground tape/CDr scene in the late 90’s and 2000’s. His recordings began as a series of obscure, beautifully crafted CDr’s mailed to friends and correspondences. He also curated his own label, “Nidnod”, releasing music that he liked from kindred spirits. As I attempted to track these artifacts down, I discovered they were nearly impossible to find.
Not to be dismayed, I attempted to contact Johann himself, to see if I could get the music directly from the source. Months later to my surprise I received a reply, and began a friendship and correspondence that continues to this day. Johann lives in a stone cottage in the Welsh countryside, on ancient land with bronze age burial sites nearby. This landscape is reflected in his music…it’s soaked with deep, ancient feeling, and it’s easy to feel that there is true magic in what he does. Johann did not have any of his own CDs left (!) but offered to make me a cassette of selections from throughout his career. I was grateful for the offer, and excited to hear more of his work.
When the cassette arrived, and I opened it, I held in my hands an assemblage art piece so wonderful I didn’t want to open it! Wrapped in shimmering gold paper and sealed with twine and a local “hag stone” Johann found on the land, the cassette itself painted shimmering gold, I held in my hands the Grail of my experimental music collection! After several days I forced myself to open and listen to it, and I’m glad I did, as it offered me a window into the mind and work of one of the most enigmatic and special sound artists of his generation, and was packed with beautiful music.

Since then, through some hard work and treasure hunting, I have been able to track down several of his CDr’s, and am building my collection, but my search will undoubtedly continue for years to come.
His music, for me, continues to reveal layer after layer of subtlety, beauty and depth. Our correspondence has revealed similar interests and lively conversation, and I am lucky and happy to consider Johann a friend.

Johann is now working on new music, including a recent collaboration with Blodeuedd, and will be making a rare live appearance at the “Listen to the Voice of Fire” experimental music festival in England, at the Ceredigion Museum, Terrace Road, SY23 2 Aberystwyth, on March 15th and 16th.

The link to the facebook page to the event is below:

https://www.facebook.com/events/208490420024444/

Anyone reading this who is anywhere near the area should absolutely not miss it!

If you’re interested in exploring Johann’s music, which i highly recommend, you can get the digital version of the A.Y. album, which is the perfect place to start, here:

https://store.tromerecords.com/album/a-y