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Culture & Religion

Where Art and Music Meet

The artist Martin Creed is performing a rock gig tonight, and a soundscape is a contender for Britain’s infamous Turner prize. The Independent on where art and music collide.
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“If a band plays a song, they are just playing music. But if an artist performs a song as part of an exhibition, then it becomes art, right? It is a grey area, indeed, and many exhibitors, curators, artists, and musicians are putting on events, each with their own differing response to that very question. Of course, there is a long and rich history of music and art being intertwined; some of the best-known examples being the Dada movement’s sound poetry and Andy Warhol’s Factory. The two genres have enjoyed a cosy relationship throughout much of the last century. At present there is a real trend to combine the two, with museums and galleries particularly keen to put on festival-style events and one-off performances showcasing both art and music.”

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What do “Yesterday,” “Satisfaction,” “My Generation,” “The Sound of Silence,” “California Girls,” and “Like a Rolling Stone” all have in common? They were all hits in 1965, the year author Andrew Grant Jackson calls “the most revolutionary year in music.” In 1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music, Jackson weaves a fascinating narrative of how popular music and social change influenced one another to create a year memorable not only for great music, but also for great progress in American culture. In this whirlwind tour of multiple genres of music as well as multiple pressing political issues, Jackson states a compelling case for 1965 as a key turning point in American music and society as well as provides a mirror for how music and society interact today, 50 years later.

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