Last night, York Art Gallery welcomed world-famous band the Kaiser Chiefs to debut their first art collection ‘When All Is Quiet’. The collection is said to ‘explore the boundaries between art and music’. The band made an appearance – with the noticeable absence of Ricky Wilson, and gave a proud speech about their year-in-the-making collection of art. The installations include a “silent gig” exhibit, in which the music element is removed from the experience of a concert and lyrics and lighting are heightened, resulting in a strikingly gorgeous spectacle.
Reyahn King, Chief Executive of York Museums Trust, gave a speech before declaring the exhibition open, saying “the Kaiser Chiefs have created a truly unique and experimental display that opens up sound as a medium and explores the edges of visual art and music”, claiming it is a “new and immersive experience”. She closed her speech by encouraging the audience to return to the exhibition with friends, as “each piece of art deserves more time to be observed.”
Simon Rix, guitarist in the global band, then took to the stage to discuss the groups excitement the showcase is finally ready, how proud he is of the work he and his bandmates have produced and the process of curating the art. “We were making our new album and this exhibition at the same time and the exhibition won the race by a long stretch. Our vision has been creatively translated into an incredible presentation” says Simon. He likened creating the art to making an album, explaining how they found it difficult to discuss the work before it had really taken shape, as “it was hard to visualise how it would turn out, rather like I can find it difficult to talk about our albums before they’re finished, but it’s come together really well.”
When All Is Quiet: Kaiser Chiefs in Conversation with York Art Gallery, runs until March 10.