Runway (Bottega Veneta-Salon)

Carl Craig: Runway is a continuation of Craig's work as a sound and visual artist. For Craig’s first museum exhibition Party/After-Party at Dia Beacon, NY, he reimagined the museum’s lower level, creating a sonic environment that was anchored to the site’s manufacturing history. His series of original sonic environments are tethered to the sites’ history, recalling a techno tradition of reclaiming abandoned spaces for radical experimentation.

For this presentation, taking place in the historic Michigan Theater, Craig presents an experience that consists of site-specific sound sculptures and minimal light installations. Encompassing the rawness and emptiness of the Michigan Theater, Runway accentuates the site’s openness with shadows and strobe lights, representing the legendary early days of clubbing while simultaneously referencing the pulsating flashing lights of the camera. Using multichannel sound systems and modular synths, both floors are filled with flying growling and grimy soulful sounds that change position in the space as the piece and the visitor progress. Utilizing the bass sound of heaving drums and Detroit techno strings, the experience riffs off the legacy of Detroit’s techno scene.

Visitors were invited to find a sweet spot to experience the environment through light, sound, time, and space.