About the project

December 18, 2021 – February 5, 2022

In 2021, Wolf Eyes, an experimental music group from Detroit, Michigan, completed a residency at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts focused on homemade instruments and how they relate to the visual aspect of performance and composition. Wolf Eyes created new instruments specifically for the Music & Recorded Sound Division, and a limited-edition, full-length LP was recorded using only these instruments. The duo Nate Young and John Olson also created over 60 painting assemblage “scores.” The instruments, art, and LP were displayed in a pop-up installation and are now part of the Library’s permanent collection in hope that generations will be inspired to take the sonic ideas into their own creative process. The installation lives on through the Wolf Eyes Library Style online exhibition.

Photography by Jonathan Blanc