Slideopera No. 1 Volume 1 (and) Slideopera No. 1 Volume 2 / The Philistine Traveler

 

William M. Kent

  1919 - 2012 (biography)

1954  

planographs from slate and multigraph offsets 

12 x 9" page size 

signed in ink on colophon page 

159 from projected edition of 1000 

Colophon: "Copyright 1954 by David Jones & William Kent / Printed in the United States of America by the Authors / On a No. 1200 (11 x 14) Multigraph Offset Press / with a No. 296 Head - Davidson Feedeer./ at the Philistine Press / 1138 Chapel St., New 

 

80# Mohawk Construction 

published: Volume I - 208 pages, many illustrated. Volume 2 - 208 pages, many illustrated. 

Philistine Press, New Haven, Conn. 

11308 

SOLD

A "Slide Opera," a 2 volume, 416 page "Modern Opera" with artwork and poems by Dave Jones and with music and dialogue for Kodachrome Slides and Tape recorder by William Kent. With an Appendix: 13 Articles commissioned for this Published Score by the authors, from 6 "Internationally known" critics who discuss & analyze various aspects of The Traveller. Arranged & composed by William Kent. Philistine Press, 1138 Chapel St. New Haven, Ct. January through July 1954.

This score is meant to be played and read aloud using projected slide images and live or recorded music: Volume 1: From 2 Prologos through Part 11, slide 44. Volume 2: From Part 12 (Absolom) through the Epilogues and the Appendix.

A rare and unusual proto ‘Video Art’ publication. The author and composer assembled together an amalgam of the life of Davy Crocket, nineteenth century American history, interspersed with biblical texts.

The intention they seem to have demonstrated in at least one live performance in 1953 was the interaction between the reading of the text, a LP record and a series of photographic slides used in conjunction to form a unique art work.

"Dave Taylor" is more of an enigma and we have been unable to pinpoint any other works by him, or details of his career; and it is quite possible that Kent is using a nom-de-plume.