Phil Dadson

Phil Dadson has made art and music out of videotape, PVC pipes and rocks. Having studied at Auckland’s Elam School of Fine Arts and earned a Masters of Arts with honours in Australia, Phil Dadson became known for performances that used improvised instruments like PVC pipes and old lampshades. He founded long-running group From Scratch in 1974. Dadson has also directed a great many experimental films, and recorded sound for documentaries. He was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2005. Dadson is the subject of documentaries Sonics From Scratch and Let the Earth Hum.

I still love the sound of a good PVC pipe. For me it has a wonderful thump. It hums, you know? If you get a good set of them, they have a beautiful sound. Phil Dadson in an interview with Pantograph Punch, 18 April 2018