Tuesday, April 9, 2013

No Metal In London Museum



I'm all for mixing the arts, but it seems London's Victoria & Albert Museum aren't - they cancelled a recent collaboration between heavy metal music (more specifically ''grindcore'') group Napalm Death and resident ceramic (!) artist Keith Harrison due to... fear they might ''damage the historic fabric of the building''!
This was due to take place in the Europe Galleries which are currently being refurbished and a further safety inspection has revealed concerns that the high level of decibels generated by the concert would damage the historic fabric of the building.

The V&A is committed to an exciting programme of exhibitions and events but the safety of our visitors and building remains our priority at all times.
Yeah, sure, the safety of shattering a centuries-old building, not of people moshing...

This Irish Examiner article adds these tidbits of information:
Artist Keith Harrison, who became interested in the band after hearing them on the John Peel show on BBC Radio 1 as a teenager, created three ceramic sound systems based on the tiles used on the tower blocks of the Bustleholm Mill estate in West Bromwich, where he grew up.

Harrison is resident ceramic artist at the gallery. Future events he has planned include the detonation of a clay replica of Keith Moon’s drum kit.
Hmmm... it's ok to have a clay drum set explode, but not a rock band (albeit a very loud one...)  throwing sound waves at ceramic tiles? Sounds like additional outsider pressure, or at the very least a museum curator who ended up listening to Napalm Death's music...

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