Valie Export – Oh Lord, Don’t Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb on Me album art
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Valie Export produced two records in Berlin-Kreuzberg together with the artist Ingrid Wiener: the LP Wahre Freundschaft (“True Friendship”) and the single “Bananen” (“Bananas”).
Another record has now been created in connection with her exhibition project at Kunsthaus Bregenz (KUB): Valie Export developed an impressive “sound sculpture” made of organ pipes and a song by Charles Mingus for the ground floor of the KUB. The sound of the organ pipes and the version of Mingus’ “Oh Lord, Don’t Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb on Me” (1962), newly arranged by jazz pianist Peter Madsen and recorded under his direction, form the heart of the record. The song is both a prayer and a howl, a mixture of fear and accusation. The accompanying vinyl booklet contains photographs that document the musical creation process and the installation in the exhibition space. An extensive conversation between the artist and KUB director Thomas D. Trummer sheds light on the work newly created for the KUB.
Design by Fabian Bremer
