Things about Eiliyas
Recent Solo Exhibition:
“Buggin’ Out and Cuttin’ the Fool are Holy Ghost Adjacent” at Listen Gallery Glasgow, Scotland
Recent Collaboration:
Recent performances (video documentation) :
SAVVY X JAZZFEST 06.–08.11.2020
10 YEARS SAVVYBRATIONS & LONG NIGHT OF IDEAS 08.12.2019
Recent Writings:
https://norient.com/eiliyas/what-public-enemy-song-would-you-recommend https://mixtapemenage.com/pharoahsdance/
Recent Speaking (video documentation):
What Does the Afrofuture Say?
Changing Perspectives - Decoding the Eurocentric
Commissioned Sonic Essays and Audiozines:
https://savvy-contemporary.com/en/events/2023/a-dive-into-indigo-waves/
https://savvy-contemporary.com/en/projects/2022/fourplusthreeequalsone/
Eiliyas(Nicholas Kelly) is a sound artist and researcher. In his installations, performances as well as audio zines and sonic essays he has an interest in societies and cultures relationship through sound and music, and the study of audio, visual and text based interactions especially in psychological impressions and sound related possibilities.
His current research and praxis theme is Blues in Technology from the Perspective of Sonic Culture which references Baldwin and MchLuhan as ideological nodes in it’s premise, collating his performances and compositions using feedback into cohesion with his engagement with other creative media, discovery and self exploration.
He also is the host and creator of the platform Mixtape Menage, a blog/podcast that aims to get to know the creators and cultural facilitators through their music collection. Which is hosted in a radio format on various community oriented radio platforms such as Refuge Worldwide, THF Radio, Berlin Community Radio(defunct) and Melodic Distraction in Liverpool.
He is also the creator and artistic director of BLACK Communion, an event series beginning Spring 2024 in Berlin, Germany that showcases explorative and experimental music/sound art of the afro diaspora inviting artist from the North America, Europe and Africa to convene and converse in sonic practices.
In addition he has done work for sound software companies like Arturia and Native Instruments, even creating presets for NI’s and Moog Foundation’s Modular Icons Kontakt Instrument among others.
He has given talks regarding sonic creativity at Du Montfort University, Kunsthochschule Weissensee and for the organization Brighter Sounds in Manchester, UK as well as being included on the panel discussion “Decoding the Eurocentric” at Pathos München. He is also co-curator of the Fall 2023 and 2024 Soy and Synth program.
Recent sonic performances and invocations of Eiliyas include Fusion Festival in Lars, Germany, Blurred Edges Festival in Hamburg, Germany, WORM in Rotterdam, Netherlands and Morphine Studio in Berlin, Germany.
Recent Exhibition:
Buggin’ Out and Cuttin’ the Fool are Holy Ghost Adjacent - Listen Gallery(Glasgow, Scotland 2024)
Recent Collaboration:
Sacred Story Tree of Life at ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen
Recent performances :
SAVVY X JAZZFEST 06.–08.11.2020
10 YEARS SAVVYBRATIONS & LONG NIGHT OF IDEAS 08.12.2019
Generate Festival for Electronic Arts 2017
Recent Writings:
https://norient.com/eiliyas/what-public-enemy-song-would-you-recommend https://mixtapemenage.com/pharoahsdance/
Recent Speaking (video documentation):
What Does the Afrofuture Say?
Changing Perspectives - Decoding the Eurocentric
Commissioned Sonic Essays and Audiozines:
https://savvy-contemporary.com/en/events/2023/a-dive-into-indigo-waves/
https://savvy-contemporary.com/en/projects/2022/fourplusthreeequalsone/
Art:
Solo Exhibition “Buggin’ Out and Cuttin’ The Fool are Holy Ghost Adjacent” at Listen Gallery(Glasgow 2024)
Performance installation at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Gallery(Atlanta, GA 2003)
Sound Installation “Cone” at Eyedrum (Atlanta, GA 2004)
Sound Installation “Sonic Puppetry” at Flux 2010 (Atlanta, GA 2010)
Sonic Vigil (Cork, Ireland 2010)
C-Minivideoart Fest at Eyedrum (Atlanta, GA 2010)
Performance for La Superette at Eyebeam (New York, 2005)
Publications and Talks:
University of Glasgow(Glasgow, Scotland 2024)
Fruitmarket Gallery(Edinburgh, Scotland 2024)
We Who Move the World Forward (Berlin, Germany 2024)
Soy and Synth 2023 Zine(Berlin, Germany 2024)
Berlin Podcast Festival 2022 (Berlin, Germany 2022)
Generate Festival for Electronic Arts (Tubingen, Germany 2017)
Berlin Music Tech Fest (Berlin, Germany 2016)
MIX: A Conference Exploring Transmedia Writing & Digital Creativity (Bath Spa University Bath, UK 2012)
Pori Art Museum (Pori, Finland 2011)
Composition and Sound Design:
Perfect Entropy’s Ashe(Night)(2023)
Perfect Entropy’ All Tomorrows Children(2017)
Mokoari Production’s Meeting Superman(2015)
Kallo Collective’s Caterpillars(2014)
Residencies:
Tekhne Residency(Riga, Latvia October 2024)
Arteles Residency(Hameenkyro, Finland October 2011)
HANGAR Artistic Research Center(Lisbon, Portugal March 2025)
Content/Essays:
Thattu Pattu - Amila Sandaruwan
Slow Travel Berlin - Paul Robeson Strasse
Personal Advisory - Kendrick Lamar
Software Sound Design:
Native Instrument’s Massive X Expansions
Native Instrument’s and Moog Foundation’s Modular Icons