RICHIE HAWTIN
Richie Hawtin aka Plastikman is an iconic DJ / performer, artist and technology pioneer. He is regarded as the leading protagonist of future thinking in electronic music. A music icon since the late 80s he continues to push the frontiers of music, art and technology in 2015. Hawtin uses his position of strength to introduce new audiences to new cultural experiences and has collaborated with a number of artistic visionaries including Anish Kapoor and Raf Simons, and performed at both the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Grand Palais in Paris.
If there was one piece of art you could feature in, which would it be and why?
James Turrell’s Roden Crater in the middle of the desert. I’d love to create a sonic landscape that works with the light and the architecture that James has imagined.
Who inspires you and why? An artist, a family member, someone current or historical?
Anish Kapoor. A few years ago, I played in front of his Leviathan project at The Grand Palais in Paris. Playing against, or with, such a structure challenges me as an artist and allows me, or makes me, think about music in a different way. 'How do I play to this object? What are the people moving around the object thinking and feeling?' And that correspondence, that conversation and communication between me and the audience, creates an exciting new dynamic. I am keen to take that feeling and this collaborative format to the next level in the future.
What are your favourite cultural cities in the world and why?
Naoshima Island in Japan. The Benesse Foundation has taken over this whole island; found old houses, old buildings, old restaurants and converted them into cultural, artistic spaces. It also a hotel, a complete destination, where you can sit and experience a James Turrell for 30 minutes, one hour, the whole day if you want. I love large scale, site-specific works. You need time to live with that art, and that’s when you can come to terms with that art and take the experience in deeper. And if it’s a destination like Naoshima where you have to travel by train and then get on a boat for 2 hours and to finally get there… That’s very special. You take some friends and stay for a few days, and that takes the whole experience deeper.