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Ken Decker at Ultimatum Festival 1985-05-02
The following is a transcription of Ken Decker’s performance at the Ultimatum Festival I, Thursday, May 2nd, 1985 at the Foufounes Electriques bar and performance space in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Decker performs poetry while he types, on and off, with long pauses. Decker’s long form experimental prose fiction work was published in 1982 with Quadrant Editions. Decker is cited three times in Alan Lord’s memoir High Friends in Low Places (2022) for his work involving live computer engagement (pp. 125, 127, 200).
Annotations
00:00 - 00:04
Performs piece [English] [reads story over typing sounds].
Ken Decker
00:04 - 00:07
Coughing.
Audience
00:07 - 01:25
Continues piece.
Ken Decker
01:25 - 02:34
Continues piece, typing stops.
Ken Decker
02:34 - 02:46
Continues piece, typing resumes.
Ken Decker
02:46 - 02:47
Beeping.
Unknown
02:47 - 03:56
Continues piece.
Ken Decker
03:56 - 03:58
Laughter.
Audience
03:58 - 04:09
Continues piece, typing sounds stop.
Ken Decker
04:09 - 04:10
Coughing.
Audience
04:10 - 04:27
Room noise [door creak, coughing].
Foufounes Electriques
04:27 - 04:46
Resumes piece.
Ken Decker
04:46 - 04:48
Coughing.
Audience
04:48 - 05:45
Continues piece.
Ken Decker
05:45 - 06:04
Room noise [chatter].
Foufounes Electriques
06:04 - 06:11
Resumes piece.
Ken Decker
06:11 - 06:31
Room noise [chatter, coughing].
Foufounes Electriques
06:31 - 07:00
Resumes piece.
Ken Decker
07:00 - 07:15
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
07:15 - 08:28
Resumes piece.
Ken Decker
08:28 - 08:36
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
08:36 - 08:55
Continues piece, typing sounds recommence.
Ken Decker
08:55 - 09:02
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
09:02 - 09:09
Coughing, rustling.
Audience
09:09 - 10:32
Resumes piece [typing sounds gradually increase in vigor].
Ken Decker
10:32 - 10:45
Room noise [shuffling].
Foufounes Electriques
10:45 - 11:24
Resumes piece, typing sounds stop.
Ken Decker
11:24 - 11:26
Laughter.
Audience
11:27 - 11:38
Continues piece, typing sounds recommence.
Ken Decker
11:38 - 11:39
Laughter.
Audience
11:39 - 11:42
Continue piece.
Ken Decker
11:42 - 11:47
Coughing.
Audience
11:47 - 12:14
Continues piece.
Ken Decker
12:14 - 12:20
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
12:20 - 12:23
Coughing.
Audience
12:23 - 12:27
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
12:27 - 12:35
Resumes piece, typing stops.
Ken Decker
12:35 - 12:46
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
12:46 - 12:59
Resumes piece.
Ken Decker
12:59 - 13:04
Laughter, distance chatter.
Audience
13:04 - 13:37
Resumes piece, typing sounds recommence.
Ken Decker
13:37 - 13:55
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
13:55 - 13:59
Resumes piece, typing sounds stop.
Ken Decker
13:59 - 14:11
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
14:11 - 14:21
Resumes piece, typing sounds recommence.
Ken Decker
14:21 - 14:33
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
14:33 - 14:35
Resumes piece, typing stops.
Ken Decker
14:35 - 14:49
Room noise.
Foufounes Electriques
14:49 - 15:51
Resumes piece, typing sounds recommence.
Ken Decker
15:51 - 15:57
Soft laughter.
Audience
15:57 - 15:59
Silence [possibly end of tape].
Recording
15:59 - 15:59
[End of recording].
END