Exhibition: Eileen Simpson and Ben White present Open Music Archive at Castlefield Gallery

This summer Castlefield galley present a new project from Eileen Simpson and Ben White. Open Music Archive is the first UK survey show for these Manchester-born artists and sees the pair – who frequently collaborate – continue their creative lust for exploring issues around copyright using experimental film. The show will exhibit a selection of projects developed over the last ten years in which they explore the performative potential of “archive” by reanimating copyright-expired archive material. Featuring sound recordings gleaned from the genesis of the music industry in 1920s Atlanta, a lost feature film from 1950s Jordan, as well as samples from the very edges of the public domain from 1960s UK chart hit records, this eclectic mix of archival sounds and visions produces an open source body of audio-visual work and invites a range of collaborators to produce and perform in the public domain. A public preview of Open Music Archive is set for Thu 13 June, with the exhibition continuing at Castlefield Gallery from Fri 14 June — Sun 18 August. The exhibition coincides with the launch of Everything I Have Is Yours, an experimental audiovisual work by Eileen Simpson and Ben White that provides a retrospective look on UK pop charts (1952-62).  This work was co-commissioned by Castlefield Gallery and will be presented at Salford Museum and Art Gallery from Thu 4 July – Sun 3 November 2019, with a preview on the evening of Wed 3 July.

Open Music Archive, Castlefield Gallery, 2 Hewitt Street, Manchester, M15 4GB, Tel: 0161 832 8034,  Public preview: 6pm-8pm, Thurs 13 June, Open: Fri 14 June – Sun 18 August, Free, castlefieldgallery.co.uk