Paul Brody

For the exhibition "How German is it? 30 Artists' Notion of Home," the artist and musician Paul Brody wrote a composition that seeks to connect music and stories. For this work, Brody conducted short interviews with four people who like himself came to Germany from another country. All describe key situations in their lives in Germany.

"The stories we tell about ourselves are accompanied by the melody of who we are. After I listened to the stories, I transcribed the melody of each voice note for note, and assigned an instrument to compliment its timbre. In 'Five Easy Pieces,' the instrument first plays in unison with the voice, then moves on - like someone leaving home. The voice is stripped of its words, but the story remains in the essence of the sound." (Paul Brody in the catalogue for the exhibition "How German is it? 30 Artists' Notion of Home?")

Paul Brody was born in 1961 in San Francisco and currently lives in Berlin. His website can be viewed at www.paulbrody.net