Zak Argabrite is a saxophonist, clarinetist, electronic artist, improvisor, composer, and researcher originally from Louisville, Kentucky now based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington New Zealand) after 8 years living in Lenapehoking (NYC). Zak's artistic practice is varied and ever-evolving, exploring art making as a fluid and personal process that often involves learning new skills and stretching between established disciplines.
As an instrumental performer, Zak specialises in saxophones (baritone and tenor) and clarinets (soprano and bass), with 17 years experience as a single-reed player. In additional to study of traditional playing, Zak's approach to these instruments includes advanced, unique or less common modes of playing, such as split tones, homemade mouthpieces, reed and instrument preparations and alterations, as well as an interest in antique and so-called "obsolete" forms of these instruments (such as metal clarinets).
As an electronic artist, Zak's long-standing specialty is circuit-bending – the practice of creatively rewiring (often discarded) electronic circuitry for sound and moving-image based pieces and performances. From the age of 13, Zak began applying this practice to modifying discarded toy musical keyboards and other sound-making electronics into unique instruments. Over the years, Zak has expanded his circuit-bending to include moving image works created with circuit-bent video mixers and interconnnected circuit-bent video and audio equipment; live performances with a hands-on approach to exposed circuits; circuit-based sculptures; software-controlled circuit-bent devices; a custom-made viola bow that can circuit-bend a talking Barbie toy while the viola is being played; a website that circuit-bends remotely. Circuit-bending has also been a key focus of Zak's PhD thesis Revealing the Lifecycles of Electronics: Creatively imagining the land-based histories and futures of electronic materials in electronic art.
