Born in New York, Arthur Clay now lives in Basel and Berlin. He works on stage with music, video & performance. He specializes in self-written and self-performed works using a variety of contemporary artistic mediums. He has participated at international festivals, with radio and CD recordings in Europe, America and Asia. He has numerous works for partly self-invented electronic and acoustic musical instruments: in 1993/94 he designed the manually operated controller systems for STEIM in Amsterdam, 'Air-bow'- a virtual stringed instrument, 'Mirrorum'- an optical sound generator, 'Spaceball'- an intermedia-controller for live-video and electronic. He also produced radio plays and theatre productions with the Swiss writer Urs Jaeggi including 'Kantate und Aria für Glas' (1993), 'Gebrochene Worte' (National PEN meeting in Heidelberg 1996), 'Spinoza is(s)t', Theatre of New Media at the 'Städtische Bühnen' in Freiburg 2000: musical theatre with text from Alex Silber and Getrude Stein with the 'Gespannte Gefährten' (German tour 1996/97) and with Art Clay 'Musik für Dinge', culture article on '10 vor 10', (Swiss television programme aired in August 2000). He has also composed for such renowned soloists as Imke David, Fritz Hauser, Günter Heinz and Malcolm Goldstein. His recordings include 'Music for Seven Strings' (ToneText 1002) with the gambist Imke David in 1996, 'Gebrochene Worte' (book & CD, ToneText 1001/Werwerka Gallery Berlin) with Urs Jaeggi in 1998, 'Einweihnachtslied & Nocheinweihnachtslied' (ToneText 1004) with Alex Silber in 1999. He was awarded a sabbatical year by the city of Basel in 1994.
Work list
Lange Jahre Stille als Geräusch (1995)
Radio play
Instrumentation: for speaker and objets trouvés (or percussion)
Texts: Urs Jaeggi
Duration: 10' 00" Manuscript
Worte (1995)
Radio play
Instrumentation: for speaker, glass harmonica and instrument obligato
Texts: Urs Jaeggi
Duration: 7' 00" Manuscript
Air Feu (1996)
Radio play
Instrumentation: for 2 speakers, 3 tape recorders and 1 siren
Texts: Urs Jaeggi
Duration: 16' 00" Manuscript
Music for Video 2 (1997)
Instrumentation: for sampler
Duration: 20' 00" Manuscript
Take off (1999)
Instrumentation: for trumpet and 2 megaphones
Duration: 5' 00" Manuscript
Fountain (1999)
Instrumentation: for 3 amplified PET bottles
Duration: 10' 00" Manuscript
Hörgänge (2003)
Instrumentation: for speaking voice, piccolo tumpet, euphonium and percussion