Dia Art Foundation commissioned acclaimed Detroit-based techno DJ and producer Carl Craig to create a sound installation at Dia Beacon in dialogue with the unique architecture of the space. Party/After-Party (2020) marks his first commission for an art institution and culminates a five-year-long engagement with Dia. This new commission reimagines Dia Beacon’s lower level, creating a sonic environment that is anchored to the site’s manufacturing history as a former Nabisco packaging factory and recalling a techno tradition of reclaiming industrial spaces for radical experimentation. Deeply personal, Party/After-Party accesses both the euphoria of the club environment and the feeling of isolation that follows this collective experience.

This commission continues Dia’s long-term support for experimentation across media, as well as its commitment to fostering music and sound-based programming at the institution’s various sites. Dia’s past programming in sound has been wide-ranging, encompassing performances from artists such as Tony Conrad, Arto Lindsay, Matmos, and Terry Riley; new commissions by Joan Jonas and Jason Moran, Isabel Lewis, Robert Whitman, and Gilberto Zorio; and iconic long-term installations such as Max Neuhaus’s Time Piece Beacon (2005) and Times Square (1977), and La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela’s Dream House iterations and Dream Festival (1975).

We would like to thank John Torres, who provided expertise on the lighting design, and Ben Manley, who consulted with the artist on the sound design. Sound system tuning by Christophe Chapelle at Sonic Lab Studio. Thanks also go to project consultant Nazy Nazhand, founder of Nazhand Art & Culture. Special thanks go to Gamall Awad, Ernie Guerra, and Kurosh Nasseri.

Carl Craig was born in Detroit in 1969. He began his career in the late 1980s as a DJ and producer, and soon came to prominence within the Detroit techno scene. Craig is frequently acknowledged as one of the field’s most wide-ranging artists, integrating inspirations and sounds from a variety of musical genres into his work. He has released several recordings on both his own Planet E Communications record label and under a number of aliases employed to explore new directions. His notable recent projects include Sessions (2008), a two-disc mix re-imagining and celebrating over fifteen years of his musical catalogue. The artist’s interest in collaboration is evidenced in Versus, which was released in 2017. For the album, he worked with pianist Francesco Tristano, French orchestra Les Siècles, conductor François-Xavier Roth, and instrumentalist Moritz von Oswald. Most recently, Craig collaborated with Chineke! Orchestra to perform title track “Versus” alongside seminal tracks such as “At Les,” “The Melody,” and “Sandstorms” at the historic Royal Albert Hall in London.

Party/After-Party, 2020
Sound, light, scrim, glass, reflective tape, and daylight
Dia Art Foundation

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