ArtistInfo

Karen Eliot

Electronic and Rock

"Karen Eliot is a name that refers to an individual human being who can be anyone. The name is fixed, the people using it aren't. The purpose of many different people using the same name is to create a situation for which no one in particular is responsible and to practically examine western philosophical notions of identity, individuality, originality, value and truth. Anyone can become Karen Eliot simply by adopting the name, but they are only Karen Eliot for the period in which they adopt the name. Karen Eliot was materialised, rather than born, as an open context in the summer of 1985. When one becomes Karen Eliot one's previous existence consists of the acts other people have undertaken using the name. When one becomes Karen Eliot one has non family, no parents, no birth. Karen Eliot was not born, s/he was materialised from social forces, constructed as a means of entering the shifting terrain that circumscribes the 'individual' and society." from "Orientation for the Use of a Context and the Context for the Use of an Orientation" by Karen Eliot, 1987, reprinted in "Smile 11, 1989 The name was used by, among many others Stewart Home, Monty Cantsin, Graf Haufen, Luther Blissett, He Who Ha Ha (a brunkville character), Bert Vanden Berghe, Brunk, Mama Bär. The name is associated with the following groups: Mumber Toes, Second Family Band, White Colours, White Colours Orchestra, Dragon Fagot With Thee Crystal Skulls In Tibet, Hintergedanken

Genres

• Electronic
• Rock
• Spoken Word

Plays With