Grant Recipients Grants to Artists Music/Sound 2024

Morgan Craft

Morgan Craft looks directly at the camera, his face tilted up towards the camera above his eyeline. He stands in an out of focus snowy landscape, holding a black guitar by the body with the neck pointed towards the ground. He is wearing a black and white checkered scarf, and a navy corduroy jacket with black pants.
Photo by D.L. Kuka.

Artist Statement

New times demand new visions, new ideas, new ideals. There are no insurmountable obstacles on earth anywhere. There are no first, second or third worlds. The entire planet is our relevant unit of analysis and concern. Everything good is for everyone. We do not have to battle with any existing system; rather, as Buckminster Fuller clearly saw, to change something, we must build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete. To this beginning I propose The House of Light / The Center for Advanced Research, designed to function as a nucleus for a general reformation of the whole wide world, and, more specifically, dedicated to the (Re)Making of the Universal Wo/Man; an individual capable of limitless development and able to embrace all knowledge. It is this Universally aligned and inspired individual who shall prove equipped to ride the coming wave of the much-hyped societal changes, and, once the dust settles, be responsible for planting the new seeds.

- January 2024

Biography

Morgan Craft is an improvisational musician whose work explores the frontier between accepted notions of what is possible and the infinite potential awaiting discovery. Craft’s dedication to improvisation stems from his interest in the natural world and the constant motion, growth, and evolution of the world around him. Underlying all of Craft’s works and inspiring future creations is the idea that the universe is fundamentally composed of vibration, making vibrations the common denominator between all things.

As an instrumentalist he has sought to ‘liquefy’ the electric guitar and break the sound barrier, opening up new avenues and opportunities for sound. Craft’s switch to an eight-string electric guitar began a commitment to experimentation in the extended range of the instrument, while holding steadfast to the assertion which accompanies all of his solo releases that “all sounds are made by, on, or through, solo electric guitar.”

Morgan’s recent works include an essay in Afrofuturism: A New Manifesto (2023), Godel Performance at Cafe Oto, London, England (2019), and participation in the exhibition Arthur Jafa: A Series of Utterly Improbable, Yet Extraordinary Renditions at Serpentine North Gallery in London, England (2017). His work is included in I Never Metaguitar Four from Clean Feed Records (2017), and he has released several albums as a part of his Circle of Light Recordings, including Circle of Light, Black Project, and Power of Won  (2016), and The Living Mythology (2015).

Morgan Craft plays the guitar on a dark stage illuminated by a spotlight, body facing towards the right, away from the camera. He is leaning forward with bent knees, his right arm is extended behind him while his left hand holds his guitar. He is wearing a dark t-shirt and black jeans, an orange lanyard hangs from his back pocket.

Morgan Craft performing.

Morgan Craft crouches to adjust the pedal setup in a gallery space. He is facing left, holding his guitar at his side with his right arm while his left hand is adjusting dials. Amp and microphone wires trail around him. Another performer holding a saxophone is visible from the waist down in the middle ground. Morgan craft is wearing headphones over his ears, a black t-shirt, and green camouflage cargo pants with brown hiking shoes.

Performance still from AJ Listening Sessions at Serpentine Galleries, London, United Kingdom, 2017. Photo by Krystal Neuvill.