Some Serious Business is pleased announce New York artist/musician Ted Riederer will mount his acclaimed conceptual art and music installation Never Records Amman Jordan Culture Not Conflict in Amman, Jordan from August 12th to September 2nd, 2016. Special artist event will be held Friday, August 19.
Working with partner gallerist Jonathan Ferrara, musicians/arts promoters Hamed Masri, and Saeed Abu-Jaber, Never Records Amman Jordan:Culture Not Conflict will capture the spirit of this historic city through live vinyl recordings that promote peace, tolerance, and mutual understanding in a region rife with violence and sectarian division. In an era overwhelmed by virtual communities, Riederer and Never Records are attempting to create ACTUAL communities.
PROJECT TRAILER
Taking the form of a pop-up record store, the event will be hosted by TURBO, the new multimedia performance space in the Old City of Amman. Documenting the creative arts scene—as well as the plight of displaced persons in a city where the population has doubled in the last decade with the influx of refugees—Never Records Amman Jordan:Culture Not Conflict will showcase the beauty and complex cultural and social forces at work in the region through live vinyl recordings made on site by Riederer. These recordings will feature contemporary artists, ethnic and folk artists, prominent bands and musicians, and the personal stories and narratives of refugees. Putting out an open call in the community to participate in the project, the recordings are free, the sessions are open to the public, and nothing is for sale. One copy goes to the artist being recorded and other goes into the evergrowing Never Records Archives of recordings made around the world.
In the midst of instability, Amman has found a way to look beyond the morbid aspects of the refugee crisis by embracing an explosion of multiculturalism. Amman’s recent reputation as a haven for Arab talents has effected a significant flourishing in the arts, music, and freedom of expression. shines a light on these progressive developments, often overlooked in coverage of the region. Through recordings cut live to vinyl, Riederer aims to create a broader understanding of how creativity can begin to heal divisiveness.
“The mission of Never Records is simple: to bring people of diverse origins, backgrounds, and lifestyles together in the intimate fellowship that music creates,” says Riederer. Never Records previous incarnations at the Liverpool Biennial; in London with the Tate Modern; and in Derry, Northern Ireland; Portugal; Texas; and New Orleans have brought together local, regional and international artists, as well as the public to create impactful events focusing on the power of shared music to unite, educate, galvanize, heal, and uplift.
Never Records Amman Jordan: Culture Not Conflict is produced in association with the Jonathan Ferrara Gallery (New Orleans), Howl! Happening: An Arturo Vega Project (New York), and Some Serious Business. For further information visit: Never Records.