Paul Conly: Oral History of a Synth Whisperer
Paul Conly is a computer and A/V producer who has been working with
computer-synthesized sound since the late 1960s.
This website is home to an oral history project in which he generously
shared a selection of his stories, centered around his participation
in a landmark exhibition of computer art.
Listen to the Oral History:
In this conversation, Paul Conly tells Adina Glickstein about his
participation in the "Software" show of 1970.
He also speaks about developing musical software and digital
synthesizers as a researcher in the Harvard University psychology
department in the late 1960s – innovations that set the groundwork
for his participation in the landmark art show.
Read a transcript of the conversation
here.
The "Software" Exhibition, 1970
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Conly participated in the landmark “Software” exhibition curated
by Jack Burnham, which appeared at the Jewish Museum in New York
in 1970 and traveled to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington
D.C. the following year.
Alongside Conly, participating artists included heavy-hitters in
conceptual art like Vito Acconci, Allan Kaprow, and Lawrence
Wiener. Together with Scott Bradner and Allen Razdow, Conly built
a musical installation for the show called “Composer,” using an
ARP Synthesizer and a DECPDP-8 digital computer.
The “Software” exhibition drew connections between rules-based
performance art and the emerging realm of computer programming,
both of which involve executing commands according to scripts or
codes. Its technical advisor was none other than Ted Nelson, whose
vision of “hypertext” set the groundwork for the early Internet.
The "Software" Exhibition, 1970 –
Monoskop
"Software: Information Technology and its New Meaning for Art" –
Catalog (PDF)
"Software"
reviewed in Artforum
(2018)
Bonus Content: Tales from Off-Off Broadway
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In this short podcast-style audio piece, Paul Conly talks about his
work in the late 1960s, prior to being featured in "Software."
Together with his band, Lothar and the Hand People – and a young
actor and playwright by the name of Sam Sheppard – Conly brought
synthesizers to the New York stage.
Read the Newsweek article mentioned in the conversation here.
Additional Links + Media
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Paul Conly's Discography – Discogs
Conly profiled in the
Corning Gazette
(1970)