nooks and crannies
Installations in Non-Gallery Spaces

Arizona State University Art Museum
September 15, 2001 - January 6, 2002

Ryan Breen

Ryan Breen

Always inventive, the Japanese have surpassed Americans in creating an aesthetic alternative to sounds heard in public restrooms. Unlike public bathrooms in America, public restrooms throughout Japan now feature multi-option, mini-soundtrack buttons in each stall that deliver Nintendo-style music. The objective behind this musical innovation apparently is to wash out traditionally embarrassing noises that accompany washroom use. Taking his cue from this refined technology, Ryan Breen creates his own symphony in the men's restroom of the museum from recordings of ambient sound he captured in Japan.

Ryan Breen attended New School for the Arts and graduated from Metropolitan Arts Institute. He went on to study at the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences. His work has been included in exhibitions at: New School for the Arts, Scottsdale, AZ; Metropolitan Arts Institute, Phoenix, AZ; and Art One, Scottsdale, AZ. His songwriting and production work has appeared on the following: Metro Arts, promotional CD; Japanese Grammy winner Coppe', full length CD which will be featured on the upcoming "winter" music compilation and Cinemax movie; and engineering work for Nico (No U-turn), Kris Weston (The Orb), Samurai Chop (Mango and Sweet Rice), and Chronic Future (Capitol Records).

Contact artist Ryan Breen with questions about his work for
nooks and crannies by e-mail at ryanbreennooksandcrannies@hotmail.com

John D. Spiak
Curatorial Museum Specialist
Arizona State University Art Museum

 

Return to the nooks and crannies exhibition webpage.

For more information contact John Spiak at spiak@asu.edu.

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