The story of a single farm animal from birth to death and beyond.

When the news arrived that Matthew Herbert was working on a new studio project using a Pig as his main star, PETA had already condemned the work. Although never intended as a call to vegetarianism, Herbert would prefer that we ate less meat and demanded better conditions for the meat that we did consume.

Written by Cindy Iseli

Herbert was present, microphone in hand, as the little animal emerged into the world and continued to document its life in audio as it grew to adulthood. Though he was prevented from recording the pig’s death by British law, the process included the recording of its subsequent butchery, cooking, consumption and the use of almost every part of the animal to make diverse products, from candles, a drum, paint and dye, to a new musical instrument which plays the animal’s blood.

The result is an elegy to an otherwise anonymous farm animal’s life, a beautiful and compelling account which prompts questions and insight into the presence of an animal so commonly underestimated, under-appreciated and unacknowledged in our society.

Using a brand new musical instrument – the Pig Sty Harp – to manipulate the samples of the animal, along with instruments made from his One Pig, Matthew and his band will retell One Pig’s story in a live show complete with a living pig, live audio-visual composition and on-stage cookery. Bacon and eggs will never be the same.

Recently Matthew has been working with Kevin Macdonald and Ridley Scott on the score for the documentary film Life in a Day, and with Björk on her new album Biophilia. He has re- composed Mahler’s tenth symphony for Deutsche Gramophon and played live shows, and DJ-ed around the world.

The studio album will be released on October 10th. The Dutch premiere of the show will take place at STRP Festival, Friday 18th of November. We’re still looking for a Dutch pig who would like to participate voluntarily…

visit the websites:
Matthew Herbert
STRP Festival
Stereogum on PETA vs. Matthew Herbert

The STRP Festival will be held November 18 – 27, 2011 in the Klokgebouw in Eindhoven (NL). In the upcoming weeks Cindy Iseli and Myrthe Velter from STRP will keep us up-to-date about Art & Technology!