Never Gonna Let You Go
2015-2016
Mixed media installation and limited edition vinyl record
Never Gonna Let You Go is a San Francisco Arts Commission-funded project commencing later this year with a 12” vinyl record and album art.
Long oblivious to the lyrics in popular music frequently droning in public places, a few years ago, I keyed into the ubiquitous love song playing over the speakers and was struck by the words. I wondered, ‘how many times and in how many ways has this single phrase been sung before?’ I began paying close attention to the language of love in songs, captivated by their eeriness, earnestness, repetition, and imagery. This spurred an interest in the limitations of language for expressing love and desire.
I have been creating an audio library using samples from existing songs for the compositions that provide the basis for a full-length album exploring love and cliché. Trawling through pop's vast repository of love songs, riddled with language that has moved to meaningless truism, I am developing a taxonomy of musical love.
The Never Gonna Let You Go work samples were exhibited in 2015 at Right Window in San Francisco. This body of work reflects the “A” side of the album, which explores the early stages of a new relationship, when there is little distinction between lust and love.