The film "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" by Matthew Barney and Stephan Stephensen is a tribute to Ólafur Stephensen, a jazz lover and advertising man who passed away in 2016. The film portrays in an abstract way a sense of being time for a new beginning, the idea of a lifespan, and freedom through the imagery of a funeral.

The music to the film will be performed live for the first time. The piece is an American folksong; a New Orleans funeral march.

The Emotional Carpenters - Sonny Greco is the sixth adventure of twenty four in the series Les Aventures de President Bongo which is a long term art project by Reykjavik based artist Stephan Stephensen aka President Bongo.

The programme

• Just a Closer Walk with Thee ‘37

About the composer

Stephan Stephensen (1971) aka Gluteus Maximus & President Bongo, wears many hats and refers to himself as ‘an emotional carpenter’. And the name is fitting. Throughout his illustrious career, Bongo has built, tooled, shaped, and reconstructed reality in a manner that has touched upon the emotional spheres of millions, greatly increasing their quality of life and inner harmony in the process. President Bongo began properly mastering his craft as a founding member of the pioneering electronic band GusGus, which has steadily gone from strength to strength since forming in 1995. As GusGus evolved and progressed through the years Bongo remains a key element, making innumerable contributions through his work, which has ranged from design, film and photography, to songwriting and production. In spring 2015, President Bongo left GusGus after 20 years of loyal service to become his own master's voice.

Performers

Davíð Þór Jónsson - Hammond & Band Leader

Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason - Piano

Ómar Guðjónsson - Tube

Áki Ásgeirsson - Trumpet and computer

Eiríkur Orri Ólafsson - Trumpet

Samúel Jón Samúelsson - Trombone

Leifur Jónsson - Trombone

Ólafur Björn Ólafsson - Drums