The Kitchen Hosts a Memorial for the Late Artist Z’EV, June 23

THE KITCHEN HOSTS A MEMORIAL FOR THE LATE ARTIST Z’EV, JUNE 23

The Kitchen mourns the recent loss and celebrates the legacy of composer, percussionist, visual artist, poet, and theorist Z’EV with a memorial evening, June 23, after his passing this winter. Beginning in the late 1970s, Z’EV (born Stephan Joel Weisser) created his own abstract percussion soundscapes out of found materials. In his long career, he conceived unique performance strategies, moving from his earlier “wild style” performances to mallet percussion in the mid-80s. He consistently explored sound’s relationship to space, starting with acoustic sound and later working also with electronic sound. The free memorial event takes place June 23 at The Kitchen (512 West 19th Street). Remembrances will be offered by friends, colleagues, and community members, with live and recorded music by Z'EV, Shelley Hirsch David Weinstein, Carl Stone, David Linton, Elliott Sharp, Zach Layton, Bob Bellerue, and Julien Ottavi, as well as remarks and images by Ellen Zweig, Ned Sublette, Roberta Friedman, Livia Polanyi, Steve Speer, and Paula Court. Excerpts from Zweig’s feature-length film Heart Beat Ear Drum, a portrait of Z’EV and his musical and personal journey, will play at the event.

Following Z’EV’s passing, Jon Parales wrote in the New York Times that he had become known as a “pioneer of industrial music”—though Z’EV himself rejected the description. Parales describes his “room-shaking, strenuously athletic” early performances: “Shirtless or wearing protective gear, with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, he flung metallic assemblages through the air or dragged them across the stage, rattled heavy chains and shook long, whooshing strips of sheet metal, some with sharp edges that bloodied his hands.”

Z’EV had a rich history of collaboration with The Kitchen: he presented several key performances at The Kitchen in the 1980s and went to Europe on a tour organized by The Kitchen. Although born in Los Angeles, he always preferred living in Europe, and The Kitchen tour was the beginning of his life in Amsterdam and London. For many years, he toured within Europe, where he was lauded as an innovator. In 2011, he performed again at The Kitchen in a program called Aluminum Music, as part of The Kitchen’s 40th Anniversary celebration.

Best known for his explorations of acoustic phenomenon, Z’EV was also a sculptor and a sound poet. He wrote extensively on Kabbalah and rhythm–Rhythmajik–which he noted "is not about music but spells out the use of rhythm and sound and proportion for trance and healing.”

Critic Roy Sablosky wrote: "Z'EV doesn't just break the rules, he changes them." Journalist Louis Morra wrote in 1983: "Z'EV is a consummate example of contemporary performance art, as well as modern composition and theater;" and "Z'EV realizes many of modernist art's ultimate goals: primitivism, improvisation, multi-media/conjunction of art forms, the artist as direct creator." 

Z’EV’s sound works, videos, and writings can be found at www.rhythmajik.com. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to assist Z'EV's friends and collaborators cover some of their costs for this event.

About The Kitchen

The Kitchen is one of New York City’s most forward-looking nonprofit spaces, showing innovative work by emerging and established artists across disciplines. Our programs range from dance, music, performance, and theater to video, film, and art, in addition to literary events, artists' talks, and lecture series. Since its inception in 1971, The Kitchen has been a powerful force in shaping the cultural landscape of this country, and has helped launch the careers of many artists who have gone on to worldwide prominence.

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