STRING THEORY : State of the Art Guitar

A new international festival of contemporary electric guitar.

Proud sponsors- Some Neck Guitars

The inaugural STRING THEORY festival will present leading international exponents of contemporary improvised guitar alongside their Irish. Performances on guitar by percussionist Seán Carpio, sculptor Karl Burke and Shane Latimer alongside Keith Rowe (UK), Stian Westerhus (Norway) and Frank Möbus (Germany).

"Resembling a surgeon operating on a patient." - Guitar Player Magazine on Keith Rowe

Our international artists bring great individuality to the table at STRING THEORY. Keith Rowe(UK) is a free improvisation tabletop guitarist, known for his skillful and unconventional guitar technique, producing sounds described as dark, brooding, compelling, expansive andalien.

Norwegian guitarist Stian Westerhus’ hard experimental style balances raw expressiveness, virtuosity and melodic instinct, utilizing his Norwegian heritage as well as taking inspiration from metal and noise with a recent focus on challenging the electric guitar alone on stage.

Internationally recognised German guitarist, Frank Möbus has a signature sound, which involves feeding his guitar through an arsenal of effects, generating spherical tones or howling groans in rock style.

Along with this international talent, String Theory will present three exceptional Irish musicians of great importance to contemporary guitar music in Ireland today. Shane Latimer, leader of group OKO and founder of Bottlenote festival, performs improvised music with guitars, synthesizers, various preparations and electronic processing, with an active interest in electronic programming and DIY synth building.

Seán Carpio’s practice incorporates song, sound and improvisation with numerous collaborations in contemporary art contexts, performing, exhibiting and undertaking residencies in a number of prestigious art venues.

Karl Burke is a visual artist and musician with an interest in the poetics of space and has produced a number of film and video art soundtracks.

“The exposed internal fabric only adds to the enchantment of the building” -Totally Dublin.

As with previous Bottlenote event The Walls Have Ears, STRING THEORY will feature the abandoned beauty of 13, North Great George’s Street. This beautiful Georgian residence will host the six improvising musicians with audience led from room to room, experiencing quiet improvisations, explosive sets and moments of magic.

Strictly limited capacity event with four performances over two nights, at 7:30pm and 9:30pm.

All musicians will perform at all four performances.