The turntable was my first instrument. It naturally became a lens through which I viewed the world. In attempting to expand its musical vocabulary, I found that it complimented and contributed to a range of other interests and investigations. Anything that turned, spun, fell, flew, sounded, or decayed was filtered through the turntable often resulting in new insights or forms. This eventually led me out into the natural world which prompted my photography.
Photo by Robin Sukhadia
I'm a sound artist, installation artist, and inventor of original musical instruments that navigate the boundary between live and recorded performance. I've also made hand-built turntables that interact with the wind and rain, fire and earthquakes, birds, light, and the force of ocean waves. My work has been exhibited and performed at such national and international venues as the Singapore Science Centre, the Gunnar Gunnarsson Institute, Iceland; the Walker Art Center, the Museum of Craft and Folk Art, and the Aukland Arts Festival in New Zealand. In 2008 I became a MacArthur Fellow.
Thank you to the following folks for believing in me... Shirin Vossoughi, David Harrington, Doug Benidt, Alice Wingwall and Donlyn Lyndon, Laurie Lazer and Darryl Smith, Meshell N'degeocello, Tân Khánh Cao, Paulette Baker, Frances Phillips, Siobahn Ruck, Joanna Haigood, Peter Richards, Eungie Joo, Mike Petrich and Karen Wilkinson, my siblings Peter and Ancina, my mother Mary Ellen Kitundu and my late father Dr. Peter Ayubi Kitundu.