Ben Neill

[1] Neill invented the Mutantrumpet, a trumpet equipped with extra bells and valves[2] as well as electrical modifications that allow him to control computer variables with his playing.

The first Mutantrumpet (1981) had three bells, six valves, a trombone slide and an analog processing system custom built by synthesizer inventor Robert Moog.

In 1985 he first travelled to Amsterdam's Steim Studios to develop a new, MIDI-capable Mutantrumpet; the upgrade resulted in the advances in the number of switches, knobs, and pressure-sensitive pads allowing the player to trigger and modify a variety of sounds and sequences, as well as lights and projections.

ITSOFOMO (In the Shadow of Forward Motion) is a major multimedia work created in collaboration with visual artist David Wojnarowicz in 1989.

Neill collaborated with visual artist Bill Jones to create Palladio, an interactive movie based on Jonathan Dee’s 2002 novel of the same name.

Palladio premiered in 2005 at the New Territories Festival in Glasgow, Scotland, and at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space in New York City.

In the Shadow of Forward Motion, his major collaborative piece with the late artist David Wojnarowicz, has been exhibited and screened in venues such as the New Museum, Tate Modern in the UK, and PPOW Gallery in New York.