Category: Burroughs100.com

Exclusive Limited Edition William S Burroughs Print on Sale!

14/8/2014

To celebrate William S Burroughs' centennial and the forthcoming 'Animals in the Wall' exhibition - In collaboration with Burroughs100.com, we are officially releasing a special fine art lithograph print of an original William S Burroughs art work.

Limited to 100 editions - sold on a first come basis.

The artwork will go on sale on Friday 15th August 2014
at 2pm GMT / 9am CDT
http://burroughs100.bigcartel.com

New exhibition of William S Burroughs' original art to premiere in London

14/7/2014

We are proud to announce exclusive access to a unique collection of William S Burroughs artistic works,
curated by James Elphick and Yuri Zupančič.

‘Animals in the Wall’ exhibition showcases a new side to Burroughs’ exciting work and premiers in the artistic hub of East London. The exhibition will feature original Burroughs' works including some never before shown, in addition to new multimedia experiments and an exciting programme of talks, film screenings and workshops.

William S Burroughs is recognised as one of the most culturally influential writers and visionaries of the 20th Century and his legacy continues to steer world culture and creative thinking. A progenitor of the Beat Generation, his writing and ideas changed literature forever. Burroughs' multi-media collaborations spawned new directions in film and music and his art is only now being properly discovered and explored. His works come alive in new ways each day and his legacy is constantly evolving.

William S Burroughs © Gottfried Helnwein, ca. 1985

This exhibition explores his ideas and themes as they continue to steer world culture and creative thinking, connecting to modern times through his art. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a new generation to get up close with the innovative nature of this work.

In many ways Burroughs was creating art for future generations. In 2014, the centennial year of his birth, his work continues to strike poignant chords. It has an enduring relevance, bringing to light important issues that are in sync with the times. He made many prescient predictions on technological evolution and the oversteps of sociopolitical 'Control' systems. Burroughs created many works as a form of resistance; his stated purposes included exposing systems of oppression and creating a "mythology for the space age," complete with "heroes and villains with respect to overall intentions with regard to this planet."

"-control symbols pounded to word and image dust; crumbled cloth bodies of the vast control machine- the whole structure of reality went up in silent explosions under the whining sirens-" -The Ticket That Exploded, 1962

The act of non-conformity and dissent runs deep within the Burroughs ethos. There are many anarchic graffiti-esque elements in Burroughs' paintings, for which he used spray paint aerosols, stencils, paste-up collages and letter forms. His marks are those of an ambitious and rebellious outsider scrawling text and layering images into new forms.

William S Burroughs setting fire to a canvas © Philip Heying, 1998

Burroughs' art works were mainly created from the early '80s to late '90s and resonate well with the vibrant street art of today's East London, where this exhibition is being premièred. Graffiti tags form 'cut-ups' of texts along the train tracks to the gallery and the diverse and colourful illegal art that covers this part of the city has always fostered a space for free thought.

Burroughs' legacy is explored, re-defined and re-appropriated for a modern audience through commissioned artists and events programmes, designed to introduce, expand and directly engage with young, innovative, and cultured audience alongside mature fans of arts and literature.

Event programme and other artists to be announced soon.

William S Burroughs Animals in the Walls Exhibition Flyer

Brought to you in association with Londonewcastle Project Space, Penguin Books, Wholefoods Planet Organic and Third Mind Productions Ltd.

EXHIBITION: William S Burroughs - Animals in the Walls
DATES: Private View Thursday 28th August (Invite Only)
Open to public Friday 29th August - Sunday 7th September 2014
HOURS: 11am - 7pm daily
LOCATION: Londonewcastle Project Space, 28 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DP
INFO: www.guerrillazoo.com/william-s-burroughs
PRICE: FREE

Read the full press release here.

Celebrating William S Burroughs 100 - Interzone in Photos, Video and Sounds!

6/3/2014

Interzone - Celebrating 100 Years of William S Burroughs from Guerrilla Zoo on Vimeo.

Last month we held a party to celebrate 100 years of William S Burroughs. We just wanted to say a huge thank you to all the weird and wonderful citizens of Interzone who attended the production and helped support the event. Special thanks goes out to all the fantastic performers, musicians, sound, lighting and production crews, set/prop makers, artists, our costume designer, the venue and everyone who gave their time! Check out the brilliant teaser film of the event shot and edited by Gabriela Jones with additional footage by Florencia Caputo. (or view on http://youtu.be/bKxSvlMYJaA).

Here's what the press said :

"The ultimate centenary party for the late creative rebel"
- Dazed and Confused [Interview & Review]

"A new generation will keep his legacy standing"
- Arts London News [Review]

"Get a little William Burroughs style danger in your lives"
- NME Magazine

"A night inside the lucid and fully realised mind of William S Burroughs" - Run Riot [Interview]

"Burroughs the legendary writer is not simply a writer. This event by the same token is not simply an event. Because, he himself, was a deconstruct-er of labels. This event, endorsed by his estate, evades definition....in the best of ways" - God Is In The TV

Photographs of the event by Peanut Photography are available to view over on our Interzone gallery page!

Terra Audio performed a very special live set at Interzone and have recently broadcast it on Resonance FM (104.4 FM) - We have an exclusive copy for your listening ears!

The set is an 'evocative picture of the life and times of writer and resistance troop William Burroughs, from his beginnings in St Louis 100 years ago, to radioactive days, silence and psychic adventure in Morocco, the use of words to create a cultural revolution, the opening of doors to knowledge, resistance, and, finally, love.'

'The show features recordings of Burroughs, and friends and contemporaries such as Allen Ginsberg, Paul Bowles, Terence McKenna, Sun Ra, Robert Anton Wilson, and in particular Brion Gysin, all set to an experimental music soundtrack.
The Third Mind techniques of juxtaposition and cut-up developed by Gysin, Burroughs, and Ian Sommerville are applied to the source material.'

Have a listen below :

Celebrate William S Burroughs 100th Birthday in London with an immersive step into the world of Interzone

28/12/2013

William S Burroughs is cited as "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th century." His legacy continues to foresee what now fills the headlines of the world today. Burroughs’ writing and ideas changed the course of literature and his multi-media collaborations spawned new directions in film and music.

To mark the William S Burroughs centenary, a few days after what would have been his 100th birthday, Guerrilla Zoo presents an experiential event inspired by his life and times. Based within the strange and seedy surreal "metaphorical stateless city" of 'Interzone' inspired by the cult beat writer whilst in the north Moroccan city of Tangier during 1950s, where he wrote his acclaimed influential nonlinear novel Naked Lunch (published almost 55 years ago). The event, which takes the world of Burroughs' writing and brings them to life with an immersive spectacle, combines promenade theatre, music, performances art, films and art installations - Think Naked Lunch meets Punch Drunk.

William Seward Burroughs II was born 5 February 1914 in St. Louis, Missouri. Burroughs was an innovative writer and artist in many mediums. A progenitor of the Beat Generation, Burroughs went on to deeply influence a wide swath of culture and thought with dozens of books and hundreds of paintings, essays, spoken word performances and multi-media collaborations. The relevance of this work persists in modern times as he made many prescienct predictions of technological evolution and oversteps of 'Control'. Burroughs' stated purposes included exposing systems of oppression and creating a “mythology for the space age.”

Burroughs was informed by a lifetime of dialogue with provocative and penetrating thinkers. Often these interactions sparked new directions in writing, film, sound, and visual art. Notable collaborators include Antony Balch, Ian Sommerville, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Keith Haring, Robert Rauschenberg, George Condo, Philip Taaffe, Robert Wilson, Tom Waits, Kurt Cobain, John Giorno, Terry Southern, Sinclair Beiles, & Gregory Corso.
He continued writing until the day he died, on 2 August 1997, Burroughs passed away at home at the age of 83.

Burroughs was not only a highly influential writer in the realm of arts, but in the cultural landscape at large.

Aside from the numerous recordings and album releases that Burroughs directly participated in (check out Laurie Anderson's "Sharkey’s Night" or Kurt Cobain's The "Priest" They Called Him), Burroughs is constantly referenced by musicians; David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs was inspired by Burroughs & Brion Gysin's "cut-up" technique, Burroughs figure is on the cover of The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, and 'Interzone' is referenced in the widely remixed “Atlantis to Interzone” by the Klaxons.

Rebel Rebel … David Bowie and William Burroughs photographed by Terry O’Neill in 1974 and hand-coloured by Bowie. Photograph: Courtesy of The David Bowie Archive 2012. © V&A Images

In the current film industry's obsession with the Beat Generation over the last few years many films have portrayed Burroughs and his literary cohorts; James Franco played Ginsberg in 2010’s "Howl," same year also saw the documentary "William S. Burroughs: A Man Within", Sam Riley and Garret Hedlund were the ambling Kerouac and Cassady in last year’s adaptation of "On the Road" where Burroughs was portrayed by Viggo Mortensen.

The recent release of John Krokidas' "Kill Your Darlings" saw Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe portraying Ginsberg and Ben Foster as Burroughs. There is a boisterous beauty about the film thats depicted through the quick pacing, jazzy hallucinagenic interludes and periods of manic genius that mirror what we have grown accustomed to be the romantic illusions of the beatnik generation.

“He was one of the most forward-thinking minds we have had. We can feel the waves of his influence today.” Ben Foster on playing Burroughs in John Krokidas' film Kill Your Darlings

2014 sees events celebrating the William S Burroughs centenary all around the world, with several major exhibitions of his artwork in London and USA, along with the release of the digitally restored film by Howard Brookner "Burroughs: The Movie" and the Beat bastion of Greenwich Village is the setting for the Coen brothers’ upcoming "Inside Llewyn Davis."

Through Burroughs multiple creative outputs it is clear his legacy has an enduring and continuing social and political relevance bringing to light some very important issues that are still in tune with the times today.

There is a cultural shift in the way we are seeing the world, the governments, the big industries and how we engage with them and each other. Writer's like Burroughs helped shine a bright translucent light at how the 'Control Machine' operates, and with Edward Snowden's 'politically backed spying' revelations that far surpass George Orwell's dystopian glance at the future, perhaps we need a little reminder that one person is all it takes to throw a spanner in the greasy cogs to disrupt the system and instigate a change.

Guerrilla Zoo presents Interzone
Celebrating 100 Years of William S Burroughs - An immersive party combining promenade theatre, music, performance and art.
DATE : Friday 7th Feburary 2014
TIMES : 8PM - 3AM
LOCATION : Secret London Location
TICKETS : www.guerrillazoo.com/interzone-burroughs-100 [Adv Only]
RSVP : www.facebook.com/events/262178000596380
Flyer Image by John De Moss

Read Burroughs biography, fascinating new insights into his life by his friends and colleagues and details of international events over at : www.burroughs100.com

Burroughs100 | Website Launches Celebrating 100 Years of William Burroughs

23/9/2013

Burroughs100.com launches today on the fittingly appropriate '23' September. The site designed, built and co-managed by Guerrilla Zoo, it aims to celebrate the centennial year of the cult writer William S Burroughs.
The website launches with an exclusive article by writer and literary executor of the Burroughs estate James Grauerholz.

'Burroughs is recognised as one of the most influential writers and visionaries of the 20th century and his legacy continues to foresee what fills the headlines of the world today. Burroughs’ writing and ideas changed the course of literature and his multi-media collaborations spawned new directions in film and music. In his later years he worked extensively as a visual artist.'

The website is the official portal for announcements of all projects, publications, conferences, art exhibitions, films, events and happenings being held in celebration of 100 years of William S. Burroughs (who was born 5th February 1914) in collaboration with William Burroughs Communications, Guerrilla Zoo's curator James Elphick and historian Frank Rynne.

Guerrilla Zoo is involved in some very special events in 2014 surrounding the world of Burroughs. We will be announcing further details in the coming months! In the meantime go check out the Burroughs 100 website.

www.Burroughs100.com

Exclusive Limited Edition William S Burroughs Print on Sale!

New exhibition of William S Burroughs' original art to premiere in London

Celebrating William S Burroughs 100 - Interzone in Photos, Video and Sounds!

Celebrate William S Burroughs 100th Birthday in London with an immersive step into the world of Interzone

“He was one of the most forward-thinking minds we have had. We can feel the waves of his influence today.” Ben Foster on playing Burroughs in John Krokidas' film Kill Your Darlings

Burroughs100 | Website Launches Celebrating 100 Years of William Burroughs

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