Cosey Fanni Tutti | |
|---|---|
 Cosey Fanni Tutti performing withThrobbing Gristle inBrooklyn, New York in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christine Carol Newby |
| Born | (1951-11-04)4 November 1951 (age 73) Hull,Yorkshire, England |
| Genres | Industrial,electronic,experimental |
| Occupation(s) | Performance artist, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, cornet, vocals |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Website | coseyfannitutti.com |
Cosey Fanni Tutti (bornChristine Carol Newby;[1]: 226 4 November 1951)[2] is an Englishperformance artist, musician and writer, best known for her time in the avant-garde groupsThrobbing Gristle andChris & Cosey.[3]
Tutti first performed under the name Cosmosis. According to Throbbing Gristle biographer Simon Ford, the name of Cosey Fanni Tutti was suggested to her bymail artist Robin Klassnick based on the title of the operaCosì fan tutte, meaning literally "That's What All Women Do."[4][5]
Tutti was a performer withCOUM Transmissions, of which she was a founding member in 1969.[6] Her addition changed the nature of the group, which had been mostly a musical venture. From that point on, COUM performances became events involving props, costumes, dance, improvisation andstreet theatre.[7] As an installation artist, she was selected in 1975 to represent Britain at the IXthBiennale de Paris.[8]
Tutti worked for two years on the Prostitution project as part ofCOUM Transmissions, in which she created an exhibition about the pornography and sex industry and worked as a model for sex magazines and films. It was shown at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London in 1976. Censorship restrictions were imposed on the exhibition so that only one image could be viewed at a time. The project also involved events in which women working in the sex industry and the public could discuss issues about the industry and prostitution. Tutti also utilised her own used tampons and used nappies fromMary Kelly's work. This "aroused hysterical reactions from the British media and art establishment, unable to address the political implications of the work."[9]
Tutti had a long career as astripper and in the fields ofpornographic film andmagazines stemming from a desire to incorporate her own image intocollages that she produced in this period.[10] This willingness to consciously participate in the process of commercial image production has inspired a number of visual and performance artists. Some of her performance artwork has also drawn on her experience as an adult performer.[11] In 1978, she appeared as a dancer in the music video for American singerSylvester's disco song "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" with three other women from her stripping agency in London, alongside several dancers fromPineapple Dance Studios.[12]
Music was used in some of Tutti's performance art. The use of music led to Tutti's interest in the concept of "acceptable" music and she went on to explore the use of sound as a means of physical pleasure or pain.[13] In 1976, she cofounded the group Throbbing Gristle withChris Carter,Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson andGenesis P-Orridge. The group disbanded in 1981.[14]
Following the breakup of Throbbing Gristle, Genesis P-Orridge and Peter Christopherson went on to formPsychic TV, while Tutti and Chris Carter continued to record together under the monikerChris & Cosey, with the duo combining their interest and skills in avant-garde music with the sounds and structures of the then-nascent genres ofsynthpop andelectronic dance music.[15] In honour of the dawn of the 21st century, Chris & Cosey changed their stage name toCarter Tutti, and the project pivoted to focus more onexperimental ambient sounds. In 2004, after 23 years apart, all four original members of Throbbing Gristle reunited, and they issued a new 12" recording,TG Now. The band continued to collaborate sporadically and began to perform live shows together for the first time in over two decades.[16] In April 2009, Throbbing Gristle toured the U.S., appearing at theCoachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and playing shows in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Chicago.
In October 2010, Throbbing Gristle began a European tour; however, following the band's first tour date at the London Village Underground venue,[17] London, on 23 October,[18] their website announced that Genesis P-Orridge was no longer willing to perform with the band, and would return to their home in New York. Chris, Cosey and Peter finished the tour without P-Orridge, under the name X-TG.[19][20]
Carter and Tutti performed with Nik Colk Void ofFactory Floor atMute's Short Circuit Festival on 13 May 2011. A live album of the show, with an additional studio track, was released asTransverse in 2012, under the name Carter Tutti Void.[21]
Tutti continues to release solo recordings, including a retrospective deluxe box set with many photos and text calledTime To Tell,[22] and she continues to work as a performance artist in theDada tradition. She co-edited (with Richard Birkett) and published (Koenig Books, 2012),Maria Fusco'sCosey Complex, the first major publication to discuss and theorise about Tutti as methodology.[23] In April 2017, she published her autobiographyArt Sex Music.[24][25][26]
In March 2018, Tutti discussed her life and career with actressMaxine Peake onBBC Radio Four's programmeOnly Artists.[27]
Excluding Throbbing Gristle, Carter Tutti or Chris & Cosey releases:
Tutti took part in BBC Radio 4 Only Artists broadcast on 28 March 2018.[28]
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