Henry Darger (April 12, 1892 – April 13, 1973), who has posthumously become one of America’s most celebrated outsider artist’s, lived a reclusive life in Chicago where he worked as a hospital janitor. His extraordinary life’s work consists of epic single-spaced fantasy manuscripts titled The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion, along with several hundred mixed media illustrations and watercolour paintings that animate his stories. The visual subject matter of his work, like the stories themselves, depict a fantasy world where child slaves must be saved from their tormentors, the heroines of these adventures are the Vivian Girls. Darger’s visual world is filled with idyllic scenes set in Edwardian interiors and tranquil flowered landscapes populated by children and imaginary creatures, to scenes of horrific terror and carnage depicting young children being tortured and massacred. Darger created a whole imaginary universe where children were innocent and dark forces reign all around, his work seems astonishingly prescient at this moment in time.
Show
Philippe Cohen Solal has unprecedented access to Darger’s life and work. Set in Darger’s room, the show will use his visual works, his lyrics and music composed by Solal & Lindsay, aiming to transport audiences into the artist’s complex mind.
In 2003 Philippe was on a tour of the USA with his band Gotan Project. Taking some time out he visited the Folk Art Museum in New York City. He found himself standing in wonder before a piece created by Henry Darger, when he noticed that the painting had been loaned to the museum by a Kiyoko Lerner ... coincidentally Philippe had the next day arranged to meet up with Kiyoko, who was a friend of a friend. This coincidence is the origin of this artistic adventure.
In 2015 Philippe began working with Mike Lindsay (Tunng). They have composed new songs inspired by Henry Darger’s unpublished lyrics, poems and writings. The inner voice of Darger is sung by Adam Glover, whose gorgeous crooning tones bring a classic timelessness, along side the chorus voice of 'The Vivian Girls' sung by Hannah Peel (The Magnetic North), bringing violent innocence and a sweet balance between rolling strings and anthemic horns, also arranged by her. Inspired by Darger’s poetic world, they have created a new musical dimension, adding melody played by vintage guitars, synths, children’s instruments, string symphonies and Darger’s much loved weather reports, taking us on a journey through his heroes' battles in the land of Abbieannia...
In 2003 Philippe was on a tour of the USA with his band Gotan Project. Taking some time out he visited the Folk Art Museum in New York City. He found himself standing in wonder before a piece created by Henry Darger, when he noticed that the painting had been loaned to the museum by a Kiyoko Lerner ... coincidentally Philippe had the next day arranged to meet up with Kiyoko, who was a friend of a friend. This coincidence is the origin of this artistic adventure.
In 2015 Philippe began working with Mike Lindsay (Tunng). They have composed new songs inspired by Henry Darger’s unpublished lyrics, poems and writings. The inner voice of Darger is sung by Adam Glover, whose gorgeous crooning tones bring a classic timelessness, along side the chorus voice of 'The Vivian Girls' sung by Hannah Peel (The Magnetic North), bringing violent innocence and a sweet balance between rolling strings and anthemic horns, also arranged by her. Inspired by Darger’s poetic world, they have created a new musical dimension, adding melody played by vintage guitars, synths, children’s instruments, string symphonies and Darger’s much loved weather reports, taking us on a journey through his heroes' battles in the land of Abbieannia...
The band
For more than two decades now, Philippe Cohen Solal has been making his mark as an electronic music architect and self-taught composer, having worked in many different areas of music production from A&R to soundtracks, as well as DJ-ing and making records.
He co-founded Gotan Project, an ambitious balance of electronic music and tango. The band has sold more than three million copies to date worldwide, and played over 450 concerts from Rio to New York, Montreux and Tokyo, not to mention in some of the most prestigious venues and all over the world.
Meanwhile, Philippe wrote and composed his solo album, The Moonshine Sessions, which he then recorded in the countryside near Nashville, Tennessee.
Philippe produced Talé, the last album of The golden voice of Africa, Salif Keita, and is currently collaborating with different artists such as Angelique Kidjo, Horace Andy, Adrien Brody, Roberto Fonseca, Marina Cedro, Richard Dorfmeister…
He co-founded Gotan Project, an ambitious balance of electronic music and tango. The band has sold more than three million copies to date worldwide, and played over 450 concerts from Rio to New York, Montreux and Tokyo, not to mention in some of the most prestigious venues and all over the world.
Meanwhile, Philippe wrote and composed his solo album, The Moonshine Sessions, which he then recorded in the countryside near Nashville, Tennessee.
Philippe produced Talé, the last album of The golden voice of Africa, Salif Keita, and is currently collaborating with different artists such as Angelique Kidjo, Horace Andy, Adrien Brody, Roberto Fonseca, Marina Cedro, Richard Dorfmeister…
Mercury Music prize winning producer Mike Lindsay is most known for being the co-founder, composer and producer of UK acid folk band Tunng. Releasing five albums and touring worldwide since 2005, Tunng are considered pioneers of the “Folktronica” genre, defining a sound that went on to inspire the Nu folk/Acid folk movement.
Mike has co-written and produced many albums for a wide range of artists who come to him for his sonic wonk, including Laura Marling, Speech Debelle, Farao, Low Roar, Jae Tyler, Beth Jeans Houghton, Serafina Steer, Hannah Peel, Cibelle and Laura J Martin. He also scored the critically acclaimed feature documentary “Mission to Lars” amongst other feature films and shorts. In 2012 he released a solo album under the name "Cheek Mountain Thief", which was composed and produced in Iceland with local musicians. Most recently, he has been collaborating with Sam Genders (Tunng co-founder) to create Throws, a mash up of vintage synths and Northern Soul.
Mike has co-written and produced many albums for a wide range of artists who come to him for his sonic wonk, including Laura Marling, Speech Debelle, Farao, Low Roar, Jae Tyler, Beth Jeans Houghton, Serafina Steer, Hannah Peel, Cibelle and Laura J Martin. He also scored the critically acclaimed feature documentary “Mission to Lars” amongst other feature films and shorts. In 2012 he released a solo album under the name "Cheek Mountain Thief", which was composed and produced in Iceland with local musicians. Most recently, he has been collaborating with Sam Genders (Tunng co-founder) to create Throws, a mash up of vintage synths and Northern Soul.
Adam Glover is a recording artist originally from Manchester, UK, where his love for crooning first began. After graduating from the university of Westminster as a Bachelor of Musicology,
Adam is currently residing in Los Angeles, and is working with some of the music industry's top producers on his debut album under the new alias Cain Monroe. Adam is the lead vocalist of Darger project. He met Philippe Cohen Solal through Fiona Bevan and subsequently worked on a film music with him. After this experience, Philippe felt Adam was the one to perform on his Darger musical project.
Hannah Peel, Northern Irish artist, singer, multi-instrumentalist, electronic composer and member of the psychogeography indie rock group The Magnetic North, released her new solo album 'Awake But Always Dreaming' to great acclaim at the end of 2016, with Q Magazine describing the album as a 'sublime electronic opus' in their 4 star review. Although modestly she shies away from any comparison, it’s little wonder The Observer describes Hannah as ‘a great singer and a latter day Delia Derbyshire.’
Music
More info about the band