Vicki dropped by Hearty White‘s show Miracle Nutrition on WFMU on 7 September 2017 for a chat about… well we don’t know, but it was fun.
Show archive
Artist Statement: People Like Us
Since 1991 British artist Vicki Bennett has been working across the field of audio-visual collage, repurposing pre-existing footage to craft audio and video collages with an equally dark and witty take on popular culture. She sees collage as folk art sourced from the palette of contemporary media and technology, with all of the sharing and cross-referencing incumbent to a populist form. Using collage as a compositional tool, Vicki Bennett opens up endless opportunities to experience results that are more than the sum of the parts. Embedded in her work is the premise that all is interconnected and that claiming ownership of an “original” or isolated concept is both preposterous and redundant.
In 2006 she was the first artist to be given unrestricted access to the entire BBC Archive. People Like Us have previously shown work at Tate Modern, Whitechapel Gallery, The Barbican, Centro de Cultura Digital, V&A, Sydney Opera House, Royal Albert Hall, Pompidou Centre, Venice Biennale, Maxxi and Sonar, and performed radio sessions for John Peel and Mixing It. The ongoing sound art radio show ‘DO or DIY’ on WFMU has had over a million “listen again” downloads. since 2003. The People Like Us back catalogue is available for free download hosted by UbuWeb.
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Longer Biography
Filmography
Exhibitions and Editions
Selected Performances and Screenings
Commissions and Awards
People Like Us on bandcamp
People Like Us on Patreon
Discography
Final DO or DIY for Summer 2017 on WFMU
The final DO or DIY with People Like Us on WFMU of the season will be on Monday 4 September 2017, and as has been a little bit of a tradition we will accompany it with a “best of” album length download. Listen live at 6-7pm on WFMU and join in the live playlist and comments.
DO or DIY with People Like Us on WFMU
Since Autumn 2003 People Like Us have been doing a weekly show on WFMU, called DO or DIY. The aim of the show is to mix highbrow with lowbrow to challenge whether there is much difference. Archived playlists of at least 200 shows from 2003 to the present day can be found at www.wfmu.org/peoplelikeus
Vicki Bennett also curated/programmed RADIO BOREDCAST in Winter 2011/Spring 2012. It was first broadcast on basic.fm and now is archived at WFMU. More recently, Vicki Bennett has programmed OPTIMIZED!, a week-long expanded radio stream on WFMU 6-10 June 2016.
Subscribe to the Podcast of DO or DIY by clicking here – it will prompt your iTunes program to open, where you will receive the podcasts.
About DO or DIY
DO or DIY is a freeform sound art radio show broadcast weekly by Vicki Bennett (project name People Like Us) on WFMU.
The philosophy behind the show is simple. That within the realms of avant-garde and experimental sound art the goalposts defining “accessible” and “inaccessible” are constantly moving. As the radar rises and dips, fragments and shards of underground creations unearth, and popular culture and artist resonate, shifting shapes accordingly with one another in reflections of changing spotlights.
The avant-garde and popular culture rely on each other’s energy. People Like Us collage both “hard to listen” works and popular listening matter, showing that in fact, beyond the restrictions of genre, genre IS the restriction and it is possible to like many kinds of art and music. The key is finding the door – DO or DIY leads the way into new and unusual realms of listening and hope to show the way in.
Each show consists of collages made of sound works from the 20th and 21st century, often layered and looped many times over, resulting in an album type effect on each show.
The pun “All Things Avant-Retard”, a rhyme with “All Things Avant-Garde” literally means All Things Forward-Backwards. Essentially by using sonic extremes and apparent opposites we find some sort of central point or balanced perspective on music and sound.
Suggested Listening: DO or DIY fill in for Ken.
New Free WFMU iPhone/iPod Touch app!
Also, if you have an iPhone or iPod Touch we are also pleased to announce that you can listen to not only the regular WFMU stream on the move at a glorious 128k, but also all of our special streams, recent DJ show archives and DJ podcasts including all of DO or DIY!
You can download the much improved updated free WFMU app right here.
DO or DIY Special: Gwilly Edmondez
Monday, July 17th, 6pm – 7pm EST
on DO or DIY with People Like Us on WFMU
http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/73648
Gwilly Edmondez is all over the place yet usually in the wrong place at the right time. As an improvisor and recording artist he tries to play as often as possible with anyone who’s game, or solo if no one is about. What he uses mostly is his voice, but is always searching for things to go with it, like samples, tapes and beats. Anything could happen, which is why Gwilly prefers to act at the very fringes of proper. He has collaborated with all sorts of people but his primary non-solo projects at the moment are YEAH YOU (with Elvin Brandhi), Kleevex (with Faye MacCalman) and Impossibility Knox (with Odie Ji Ghast and sometimes THF Drenching).
DO or DIY Special: Dominic Robertson aka Ergo Phizmiz
Monday, July 3rd, 6pm – 7pm EST
on DO or DIY with People Like Us on WFMU
Dominic Robertson aka Ergo Phizmiz
One Summer’s morning Vicki Bennett was visited by Dominic Robertson aka the composer, writer, theatre director and collagist Ergo Phizmiz. He brought with him stories of political prophecy, homemade opera, and laments on the death of the internet-of-dreams.
DO or DIY returns to WFMU Summer Schedule 2017
We are very pleased to let you know that DO or DIY with People Like Us will return to the WFMU air and etherwaves this summer. The first show will be Monday 5 June 2017, and will run weekly through to and including 4 September 2017. The show time is 6-7pm NY time (that’s 11-midnight UK), and all shows will be archived shortly after, and podcast.
Abridged Too Far album now on Vinyl on Discrepant
PEOPLE LIKE US – ABRIDGED TOO FAR [Discrepant LP CREP41]
Release date 31st March 2017 – available now!
ABRIDGED TOO FAR is the first of a series of vinyl by Discrepant to celebrate this being the 25th year of People Like Us publishing albums. First released in digital-only form in 2004 exclusively for UbuWeb, this album includes Vicki’s John Peel session and performances for WFMU, amongst others, both from 2003, and now comes packaged with brand new artwork designed by Vicki Bennett.
DO or DIY radio show – Vicki fills in for Ken on WFMU
If you are by the radio or internet on Wednesday 21 December between 9am-noon NY time (that’s 2-5pm UK friends) then tune in to a mega 3-hour DO or DIY with People Like Us on WFMU with your radio host Vicki and 20,000 mp3s. Listen on the live link at http://wfmu.org/ at the time, and join us on the Comments Board and follow the live playlist at https://wfmu.org/
Support WFMU
It’s the WFMU Silent Fundraiser. If you like what we do, please pledge now, you can’t start something like this all over again, you know, so keep it going!
WFMU PRESENTS: A CRISIS FUNDRAISING INFORMATIONAL FILM from WFMU
Documentation Video: Optimized! Expanded Radio & Artist Residency at WFMU
From 6-10 June 2016 Vicki Bennett and John Kilduff were Artists in Residence at freeform radio station WFMU in Jersey City, NJ, USA. This residency consisted of “Optimized!” – a week-long online a/v radio station which experimented with ideas of what radio might be in the world of high speed internet broadcasting.
The content included 26 new a/v artist commissions selected and programmed by Vicki Bennett, where people were invited to respond to the word “optimized”, John Kilduff’s live “Let’s Paint TV” daily video show which combines, painting, cooking and exercise, and an evening at the station with an in-house studio audience.
This documents just some of what went on. The rest is archived at wfmu.org/playlists/up
Thanks to:
Andrew Sharpley, Bodega Pop Live with Gary Sullivan, Brian J Davis, Brijet Murray, Bryce, Busy Doing Nothing with Charlie, Buttress O’Kneel, Carlo Patrão, Carol McCrossen, Dan, Dan Deacon, Daniel Menche, Dina Kelberman, DO or DIY with People Like Us, Drew Daniel, DW Robertson, Gwilly Edmondez, Hank Lewis, Heather Phillipson, Irene Moon, Jason Willett & MC Schmidt, Jeff Moore, Jem Finer, Jim Price, John, John Dalton, John Kilduff, Ken Freedman, Kimzilla, Leech, Liz Berg, Matt Warwick, Melissa, Miracle Nutrition with Hearty White, Nick the Bard, Osymyso, Pat Byrne’s Desk, Peter Knight, Porest, Pseu Braun, Roy, Ruth Hayduk, Scott Williams, Steinski, The Dusty Show with Clay Pigeon, Tim Maloney, Tom, Vicki Bennett, Will, Wreck This Mess with Bart Plantenga, WFMU, Monty Hall and The National Endowment For The Arts
Optimized! Explained!
Optimized! has begun! Vicki explains it here..