Tony Conrad is dead

kieselguhr kid · April 10, 2016

"The avant-garde filmmaker and composer Tony Conrad, whose work inspired thousands of artists and pushed the boundaries of what art could achieve, died early April 9 at 76 after a struggle with prostate cancer. The immediate cause of death was pneumonia.

Conrad, who taught in the University at Buffalo's media study department since 1976, was idolized by a generation of composers, musicians and artists who credit him with changing the course of American art and music with his seemingly endless series of inventive projects, performances and installations.

An event honoring Conrad's career and retirement had been planned for May 2 in the University at Buffalo's Center for the Arts. A short bio, pasted from a press release announcing that event, is below:

Tony Conrad cannot be put into a box. Best known as an experimental musician and filmmaker, he is also a painter, writer, video and performance artist, and eminent mentor and teacher. In 1966, Conrad made Flicker, a seminal work in structural and phenomenological film. Other prominent works include Coming Attraction and Straight and Narrow (1970), Articulation of Boolean Algebra for Film Opticals (1975), Phonograph andCycles of 3's and 7's (1977), Hail the Fallen (1981), and In Line (1986). While his films often examine perceptual issues, he also explores narrative structures in his video works. In the 1970s and 80s, Conrad began investigating socio-cultural power structures, which led to the creation of Squeaky Wheel and various community focused projects (Studio of the Streets, Homework Helpline)."