Three live performances by world-renowned DVJ artist Charles Kriel will be projected onto the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) presents the inaugural performance of DSM5, an original multimedia installation created by internationally-recognized Digital Video Jockey (DVJ) Charles Kriel. On Saturday, September 29 at 8:00 pm. 9:00 and 10:00 pm DVJ Kriel will perform his new work DSM5 live, mixing a concert-quality sound system and dramatic images projected onto the Bloor Street façade of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. The performances are part of the second annual Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, a free city-wide overnight event showcasing contemporary art. After 11:00 pm, a recorded version of DSM5 will be projected onto the building, without sound, for the rest of the night.
“The ROM is pleased to participate again in Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, an event that celebrates creative expression in Toronto,” said William Thorsell, Director and CEO of the ROM. “The fusion of DVJ Kriel’s innovative performances and the bold architecture of the Lee-Chin Crystal will offer a truly unforgettable experience.”
DVJ Kriel’s newest work, DSM5, combines and separates visual and sonic elements to delve into North American pharmacological culture, specifically psychopharmacology, the study of the psychological effects of drugs. The title refers to the upcoming fifth installment of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a handbook originally listing 100 categories of mental disorder. The number has now tripled. This new work was inspired by the panoply of drugs that are used today to treat these new "disorders."
Kriel has designed DSM5 specifically for the ROM venue. Visuals will be projected onto the Lee-Chin Crystal using a palette of four panels. The images themselves are very diverse and range from archival to original, from representational to abstract. The music is equally varied. Kriel experiments with such instruments ranging from synthesizers and samplers, to steel guitars and banjos, to more esoteric Asian instruments to create the desired effect. One of DSM5’s more notable moments was constructed by isolating several samples of a seminal Glenn Gould performance of Bach, and then reconstructing those fragments to create an entirely new jazzy sound.
NOTE:The Scotiabank Nuit Blanche program guide lists Mr. Kriel's performance as Ground Loop Alibi; this earlier work will not be performed.
Born to an American circus family, Charles Kriel is an artist, producer and DVJ based in London, UK. This month, he was named one of the world’s top 10 DVJ’s by Mixmag, the world’s best-selling dance music magazine, and was recently billed “the world’s first superstar VJ” by The Times. Kriel has performed at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Venice Biennale and Tate Britain, as well as every major club in Ibiza. He is also currently the UN World Summit Awards National Expert in New Media (UK). He received his MFA from Chelsea College of Art and Design and his PhD from Central St. Martins College of Design, both in London. For more information about Charles Kriel, visit www.kriel.tv.