Army of me
10 May 2005
The composition of UCL PhD student Mikhail Karikis (Slade School of
Fine Art) has been selected from around 700 entries to appear on Björk's
charity album Army of Me.
The album was conceived by Icelandic musician Björk after she saw pictures of the damage caused by the Boxing Day tsunami. The experimental nature of her 1995 single Army of Me had prompted many musicians to send her their mixes and versions of the track, which gave her the idea of a competition inviting musicians to submit their re-workings for an album.
Mikhail's work - Once More in CoF Minor - appears alongside 19 other tracks by emerging artists from all over the world, ranging from death metal to experimental classical music. Mikhail said: "Once More is an experimental song for which I rearranged an electro-acoustic piece I created in 2004 and recorded new vocals. The song is composed for two violins, harpsichord, saxophone, electronics and voice in a baroque juxtaposition of extreme dynamics, pitch and tempo. It is part of a series of works in which voice is used as 'sound-material.' Clusters of whispers, cries and groans are some of the vocal gestures that explore the evocative power of voice and its ability to overwhelm linguistic signification."
An artist and musician, Mikhail studied for an undergraduate degree in architecture at UCL's Bartlett School before deciding to concentrate on art, embarking on a postgraduate degree at UCL's Slade School of Fine Art. He has also lectured at the school, establishing the first sound art course for the undergraduate art programme.
The record Army of Me was released worldwide on 2 May 2005 and all profits will go to UNICEF to support children affected by the tsunami disaster.
To find out more about Mikhail or the Slade use the links below.