Ted Riederer

New York-based conceptual artist and musician Ted Riederer explores the potential of a record shop and recording studio as an artistic community hub. Installed inside The Rudin Family Gallery, Never Records is a multi-use gathering space for connecting with others through recorded sound.

Riederer himself oversees the recording sessions, at the end of which performers leave with a freshly cut vinyl record and a digital file of their music. Visitors are encouraged to explore the shop, which is designed to mimic a long-operating record store and features unique artwork; listen to recordings from past Never Records installations; and watch live performances being recorded and cut in real time.

With a nod to Fluxus, Alan Kaprow’s Happenings, Alan Lomax, Harry Smith, and the collectivism of the 80s and 90s DC punk scene, Never Records embodies Riederer’s mission to build and galvanize communities based on the act of listening and the visualization of sound. Since 2010, Never Records has traveled to Liverpool; Derry, Ireland; London; Lisbon; New Orleans; Victoria, Texas; and Amman, Jordan. This season, Riederer brings it to the BAM Strong, marking the 10th anniversary of the project.

Ted Riederer has armed himself with painting supplies, guitars, amps, LPs, record players, drum kits, photo equipment, a vinyl record lathe, and long-stemmed roses as he’s ambled from the Americas to the Antipodes. His work has shown at MoMA PS1, Nicole Klagsbrun Gallery, Marianne Boesky Gallery, Prospect New Orleans’ triennial, Goff+Rosenthal (Berlin), Jack Hanley Gallery (San Francisco), and the Liverpool Biennial, among others. He is the artistic director of Howl! Happening: An Arturo Vega Project, an NYC nonprofit gallery and performance space.