Yesterday while Jennifer was returning some books to the De Paul library, I stumbled into an excellent exhibition at the De Paul Art Museum. Called “Anxious Objects,” it collects about 60 pieces by musician/artist Ken Butler.
The pieces are musical instruments, or things which look like musical instruments, constructed from all manner of ingredients. The ones in the exhibit are more to look at than to hear, but some of the ones he makes are suitable for playing, and the gallery is filled with the sound of one of his recordings. It turns out I got there the day after the opening, when Butler had made a performance in the gallery.

The gallery is selling another recording, his 1997 Tzadik release “Voices of Anxious Objects”. Some of it has a pretty straight-forward middle-eastern sound (reinforced by the presence of dumbek and occasionally shenai or gaida) but some of it gets a little further afield. The band includes Matt Darriau and Stomu Takeishi, who are involved in a lot of NYC improvised music, as well as percussionist Seido Salifoski, whom I haven’t encountered before.

If you’re in Lincoln Park, drop by and check it out. Admission is free. The gallery is in the same building as the De Paul library, at 2350 N. Kenmore (just south of Fullerton). They told me they are going to see about bringing him for another performance, which I would definitely not want to miss. The exhibition runs until November 23rd.

See also: Perfect Sound Forever interview with Ken Butler, part of their Experimental Musical Instruments showcase