2023
Online publication / audiovisual work
Gill Arno, Gustavo Matamoros and Richard Garet
14 minutes
Contour Editions, ce.onl_0043
Completed 2021 | Published 2023
Untitled (36) – Double Infinity for Phill Niblock is a collaborative audiovisual work created at the invitation of Phill Niblock for Double Infinity, an online program he curated through Experimental Intermedia in celebration of his eighty-eighth birthday.
The title Double Infinity refers to the visual resemblance between the number 88 and two infinity signs.
Phill selected the three collaborators and asked us to create a work for the event within a very short period. We proceeded without a predetermined score or formal plan. Gill Arno and Richard Garet contributed moving images and sound; I contributed sounds drawn from my archive and mastered the completed audio. Richard assembled the final video.
I entered the process in response to material already underway. None of us knew precisely what the others would contribute, and the work developed organically through the superimposition of independently created materials. Its unexpected correspondences among sounds and images emerged from the process itself—and from the trust and shared experience developed through our previous collaborations.
The fourteen-minute work was first streamed on December 4, 2021, during Phill Niblock’s Double Infinity program at Experimental Intermedia:
20:45 — Work 36: Gustavo Matamoros, Richard Garet and Gill Arno
Contour Editions subsequently published the work in 2023 as online project ce.onl_0043.
WATCH
Untitled (36) – Double Infinity for Phill Niblock
Gill Arno, Gustavo Matamoros and Richard Garet
14′00″ | 2021
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
untitled (36) – double infinity for phill niblock
when phill niblock asks for a piece to be delivered tomorrow, you just can’t say no. not to phill.
back on december 4th and 5th, 2021, during the pandemic and in celebration of his own birthday, phill niblock curated an extensive audiovisual program to be streamed online by experimental intermedia. phill invited artists of his choosing to come together and compose a piece for the event.
impromptu collaborations play an important role in fostering a sense of community in the arts, serving as a remedy for artistic solipsism and a great way to test personal artistic boundaries. often, these opportunities arise with very little time to deliver, which precludes lengthy discussions on individual topics and requires a pragmatic focus on open structures and a couple of key concepts from which to derive the finished work. in this context, two factors are essential for success: trust that your fellow collaborators are not only laboring in good faith but also applying their collective expertise and craft. the other factor is shared experience. gill arno, richard garet, and gustavo matamoros not only have decades of experience but have also worked together frequently in the past; they understand tactics and strategies when it comes to navigating a project in a short amount of time and delivering outstanding results.
given the nature of the structural scaffolding of the piece and the fact that the artists were unaware of each other’s contributions while working on their own parts, all three were delighted by the numerous pleasant surprises that resulted from simply superimposing the tracks on top of each other, as well as the unforeseen connections between sound and image. in fact, due to the long-standing friendship between the three artists, both artistic and personal, it’s likely that they expected to be pleasantly surprised by the results.
gil sansón, 2023
PUBLICATION
Publisher: Contour Editions
Catalog number: ce.onl_0043
Format: Online screening
Duration: 14′00″
Year completed: 2021
Year published: 2023
View the publication at Contour Editions.
CREDITS
Concept and realization: Gill Arno, Gustavo Matamoros and Richard Garet
Moving images and sound: Gill Arno and Richard Garet
Sound and audio mastering: Gustavo Matamoros
Final video assembly: Richard Garet
Cover image: Richard Garet
Publisher’s note: Gil Sansón
Created at the invitation of Phill Niblock and first presented by Experimental Intermedia
Published by: Contour Editions