Lobbing Potatoes at a Gong (1969)

Music is one of Rodney Graham’s great passions. Already as a student, he played in several bands and composed his own pieces. Many of his works are based on musical appropriation. In his multimedia installation Lobbing Potatoes at a Gong (1969) from 2006, Graham takes on the role of a conceptual artist from the 1960s and appropriates a performance by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, who, during a jam session in 1969, threw vegetables at a gong. The dry aesthetic of the 16mm film and the seriousness with which Graham carries out the absurd action create an impression of authenticity. This lends the work a subtly ironic tone.
The installation also includes a distillation unit used to make vodka from the potatoes that were thrown. In connection with this installation, Graham also created the backlit photo-transparency Potatoes Blocking My Studio Door (2006).