Melbourne based artist with extensive catalogue of music, video and visual art. Skilled maker in metals, keen eye for graphics. Lover of buildings and earth sciences. Born in Hull, England. Educated in Sydney NSW. Home studio in Coburg, Victoria.
Chip is a passionate music artist, writing and performing in genres from artpunk to ambient. His principal instrument is bass guitar though his studio features dozens of instruments collected over a thirty year period. Many of his music and video compositions can be found at chipwardale.com.
Chip has a strong background in community arts in both organisational and artistic capacities. With experience in regional touring and event production, Chip has a passion for bringing experimental arts to a broad community. He has been performing original music with accompanying projections for decades, be it stunning wilderness imagery with largely acoustic instruments, or abstract digital video with a largely abstract soundscape.
Chip records dark ambient compositions as Black Ambient, and collaborates with other artists often. From 1996 until 2004 he was based in Tasmania and composed, recorded and performed in popular instrumental duo Alchemy. Previous to this Chip performed in bands performing original music since 1980.
Music
These two tracks were recorded at my Coburg studio in 2011 using hammered dulcimer, fretless 5 string bass, warped turntable, frame drum, synthesiser. They are both part of my Black Ambient set.
Both tracks have accompanying videos availiable here: Harvest and Faith
Video
Cabasa, gong, singing bowl, 5 string electric bass, lyre, a handful of small bells.
It took a ridiculous amount of time to finish this piece. I created a solid stripey image in photoshop, inspired by the work of English Op art painter Bridgit Riley. I’ve used this as the basis of a lightbox image as well. I imported the photoshop file (74 layers) and then made them kind of dance by selecting when you do or dont see them, they are never all on at once.
The vertical text that scurries about is a projection that I filmed at Mona in Hobart. Its called Encyclopedia by Scottish artist Charles Sandison.
I filmed myself in my studio against a black background with my new camera. Canon 7d.
I see artists doing work based on a striped image often, and sometimes using moving image. Bridget has done a famous painting that lives in the city gallery in Liverpool, England, but theres plenty of examples. Its like the carpet I and many other kids had in housing commission bedrooms in the 70′s, cheap and colourful……. and common.