David Byrne, Iggy Pop and Michael Stipe are among the musicians and artists participating in a new digital art project from artist Maurizio Cattelan called Bedtime Stories.
Bedtime Stories launched via the New Museum and, per a statement, Cattelan envisioned the project “as a way of staying together during these days of isolation.” Each participant was asked to share a selection from their favorite book, but while some followed the prompt exactly, others read their own writing or even shared impromptu performances.
For instance, Iggy Pop helped kick off the series with a funny but touching tribute to an old dog of his. “From the first time I saw you, standing on the other side of the divided highway, smelling the meat coming out of the meat locker at the mini-mart, I knew you were the dog for me,” the musician recalls. “You were such a good-looking little dog. And the next thing I knew, there you were, standing by my truck, looking up at me. I picked you up, put you on my lap and thought about keeping you — and in less than a minute I was covered in fleas!”
In an e-mail to the New York Times, Cattelan spoke about the mix of recordings he ended up receiving, saying: “It would have been quite depressing if all the invited artists and contributors had chosen fairy tales and children stories. We look to artists for their ability to show us the unexpected so I am thankful to all the participants for coming up with some genuinely weird stuff.”
A new installment of Bedtime Stories will be released on the New Museum’s website every day through the end of June. Other participants will include Black Thought, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Raymond Pettibon, Marilyn Minter, Rashid Johnson, Jordan Wolfson and Maya Lin.
