Massimo Magee

Art

Audiovisual digital abstraction:

Creator of audiovisual digital art objects, each one designed to be read as both a visual still image and as a piece of audio, these being two readings of the same file in each case.

This practice proposes an entirely new and thoroughly modern form of art in that it posits art objects that can only truly be 'seen' in their original state by the machine: while human observers require the audio and visual readings of the file to be separated out in order to perceive them, the computer sees both audio and visual aspects enmeshed within and between each other in the one file. In this way, the pieces examine the gulf between organic and electronic perception. Viewing the image reading, the viewer also sees the audio; listening to the audio, the listener also hears the image. This is abstract art for the 21st century.

Writing

Multimedia fiction:

Author of ‘Variations on an Inexhaustible Theme’, a new experimental, audiovisual novel told through text, full colour images and sound, published in September 2022 by Eleusinian Press. The London Economic described it as:

“…a triumph and perhaps go so far as to say it’s also a work of genius, which while undoubtedly standing on the shoulders of artistic giants, successfully defines and justifies its own existence. In short, what we have here is more than a book; it’s a ‘gesamtkunstwerk’—or complete work of art—that will confront, surprise and delight those who are willing to be actively involved in the singular artistic journey that awaits.”

Previously published Manifesto (New Unities), the Counter Culture trilogy of novels, and the limited-edition multimedia box, The Triptych.

Music

Experimental, improvised music and free jazz:

Free/avant-garde jazz, experimental music, improvised music and more on saxophones, clarinet, flute, electronics and other instruments..

These activities have included performances internationally at venues such as Cafe OTO, the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Tage Neuer Musik in Weimar, Outsiders Improvised & Creative Music Festival and many more, as well as recordings released in the USA, UK, South Korea, Germany, France, Japan, Poland, Australia and more, releasing music on labels such as 577 Records, Astral Spirits, Falt Tapes, Poverty Electronics, Lurker Bias, Copy For Your Records, Kendra Steiner Editions, Leerraum and others. Ensembles have included Cyclone Trio, Interrogation Quartet, the Irving/Magee Duo, Apocalypse Jazz Unit, the Magee/Green/ Fowler-Roy Trio and many other groups as well as solo music.