Inside the Embryoroom: A ...

Operating since the mid-1990s and steadily carving his audio visual landscapes to this day, Quist creates conceptual narratives using sound and image.

I first came across his work through Kuvaputki, a close filmed live performance of the Finnish electronic legends Pan Sonic and still remember the jaw dropping experience. Never could I have imagined something more fitting to that music. A reference point for the A/V scene to this day, almost 25 years from its premiere at Sónar.

Digging a bit deeper I found Quist’s own music, a unique blend of dystopian atmospheres on top of seminal beats. The lights are meant to stay off and all angles are blurring. Things are moving from hypnotic drones to full-on electronic assault. You have been warned. This content contains flashing images. Viewer discretion is advised.

Straight from the deepest cuts of the NYC underground art scene, Edward Quist, the man behind the Embryoroom project, visits Athens for the first time, offering a unique live glimpse into his distinctive universe. Not to be missed by any means.

Right before his performance at MPAGKEION, the abandoned hotel, we had a chance to chat about his work, process, collaborations, and more.

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New releases, gallery shows, international film screenings, things feel quite busy for Embryoroom these days. What have you been up to lately?

In the past year, a number of shows, some at galleries, others in museum- and club-like settings. It’s been the most active time in a while, in terms of exhibitions and live shows. At the moment, I am preparing for Athens and the next Embryogallery exhibition in New York. I’ve been shooting and recording new material for release later this year. The Emrbyogallery Film Festival traveled from New York to Mexico City and was just extended for another month at the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art.

Collaboration seems a continuous aspect of your work. Any notable collabs on your current projects?

At the moment, I am working closely with architectural designer Paul Stein. We’ve produced several sculptural forms and designs, which will have multiple functions. That’s been in the works for several years, and a solid year in planning for a show in New York. We tested some of the prototypes recently in Croatia. I think it was a success.

Speaking of collaborations and connections, you recently contributed to ‘Infinite Dreams: The Life of Alan Vega‘. What’s your connection to Alan Vega, and what was that contribution about?

I knew Alan going back almost thirty years. He was a true experimenter. If he could be convinced something was worth the time in trying, he’d take it as far as possible. For a few years, I was documenting suicide shows for an idea that had parallels with Kuvaptki. Alan’s widow and collaborator, Liz Lamere, was writing a book on Alan’s life and asked if I could contribute a memory. I think the best memory was being in the studio with Mika, Ilpo, and Alan while they were recording the second VVV album. I feel those two VVV records are quite important.

Your project American Cannibalism is massive. Can you shed some light on its concept and how it came together?

The recordings and film started before the pandemic, then developed through the worst parts of the so-called lockdown. They stemmed from the “Revelation” project that was ironically about plagues but was put on hold when New York City was effectively shut down. The film was produced with material from Embryoroom’s database. Some of which appeared in the film that was released as a bootleg on FACT. Showing them on that platform became a way to get the work out when the world was seemingly closed. For me, A.C. is a proof of concept that Embryoroom is a creative engine that is a universe builder, constantly mutating the way the subconscious does and can be deployed over any medium and taking on any art form in adverse conditions.

You mentioned Embryogallery earlier. Can you elaborate?

Embryogallery began at the end of 2019. I had been working with Envoy Enterprises for about a decade, and they made the decision to close its physical space on the lower east side of Manhattan. At that point, left without any representation or space, I started my own gallery. The pandemic delayed its opening but enabled intense focus on a virtual platform in streaming. There were many live streams that Embryogallery curated over a two-year period. They were successful and brought the work of a few dozen artists from around the world to be seen and heard in an otherwise impossible situation. In 2023 the first real-world shows began at the location of Embryostudio in Union Square. One of the interesting residuals of streaming was the global scope. I’ve continued that spirit by bringing Embryogallery shows to other countries in galleries and environments that have unique profiles. EG is very pro film, video, and new media, leading to starting a film festival, which has also traveled internationally. EG is highly adaptable, nomadic, pro-artist, and anti-orthodoxy. It’s a stealth gallery, uninterested in white walls. So, Alan Vega, John Duncan, Alex Rutterford, and Ilpo Väisänen, to name a few, fit in well with Embryogallery’s objectives. There will be a new generation of artists to follow in their footsteps, and we are bringing some of them to the world.

Your work often seems to have a clear political aspect. How do you view the current political, social, and cultural state? The world is doomed or do you see any light at the end of the tunnel?

I am interested in geopolitics, but I have had to create some distance from it and to let the concerns and fears express themselves inside the material more subliminally. There’s a time and place to use “pop culture” politics in art. I think that was well worked over in the American Cannibalism period, for example, especially the way it was promoted. There was some absurdly twisted gallows humor, which is close to my own sense of humor. The next wave of projects is standing in the shadow of Techno-authoritarianism. So, I’m at the entrance of the tunnel, we will see if there is an eventual light!

How would you describe living in NYC? Do you go out often, or mostly stay in?

It’s still my favorite place, although it’s in decay with terrible leadership. I go to openings and see the occasional live show, but most of the time I’m working on something or another and can be a bit of a hermit.

Looking ahead, what can we expect from Embryoroom? You mentioned new material and future plans.

One of the next projects is “Abductor”, which will be large in terms of scope. Some of the film and live elements of it were previewed in NYC and Los Angeles and will be in Athens. The plan is to release a few works this year. Escape from Coney Island is one. There are multiple operations in motion. Embryoroom has undergone beneficial mutations and will continue to.

Let’s rewind a bit before we go. How did you start your audiovisual work? What did that early process look like?

It started with a video camera that I borrowed in 1990 to make short films along with some of my friends. Then I was given a Toshiba camcorder as a gift, which in and of itself is a fascinating story; maybe I’ll elaborate on that one day. I needed soundtracks for the videos, and that’s how I started experimenting with sound. They sparked together almost at the same time. The experiment in the early days was to be able to produce films and sound on my own, not necessarily be reliant on others or theatrical conventions. There weren’t always actors around to go before the camera.

Can you talk a bit about the early days with Pan Sonic? To what extent would you say Pan Sonic influenced you as an artist and the Electronic music scene in general?

I was a teenager when I met them and worked alongside them for what seemed to be a long time. I learned what it meant to be a performer in front of an audience, the process of what is actually interesting for a sustained period of time. What is primal is the most important aspect to me, and Pan Sonic were definitively primal. They were true artists. I think their legacy continues to be very influential.

What’s your take on the current music industry?

It’s factory farming.

What should we expect from the performance in Athens?

The show in Athens is in an abandoned hotel that’s been converted into an art space. You are probably familiar with it. We will be using the various rooms for video and light installations. There will be several performances, including Embryoorom. About half the set is new material, and then there is a surprise or two.

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embryoroom.com
embryoroom.bandcamp.com
instagram.com/embryoroom

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Photo credits: Adriana Mendieta