The design of my new CD, "Under My Breath", is very special. The team at Waystyx records in Russia really came up with a remarkable look for this release. When this project was proposed to Waystyx I explained the concept behind it-

(culled from the Waystyx site) PBK: "When I began this project I wanted to create a reflection, not about the actual events of the day of 9/11, but about what happened after that, with the U.S. administration clamping down on human rights, privacy and self-expression. The main control utilized by any government is "fear" as it relates to personal safety. We see this quite clearly in the U.S. since the events of 9/11. They turn huge populaces into quivering paranoiacs through media saturation and cold-war tactics. So came this idea that if anything were to be said out loud that was contrary to the "approved" line of thinking, that it would have to be said secretly, quietly, or "under the breath", so it could not be heard by the authorities of such agencies who might consider it to be potentially harmful to the status quo, and thus take action to shut it down, or quiet the thought. The poetry of Ms. Anne Waldman, which I used with her permission to develop the titles of these pieces, was the essential key and cemented the concept for this project."

Designer, Tamara Logatcheva, created a package that exemplified my thoughts: the track listing and credits are printed backwards on the inside of the heavy cardboard cover. Only by viewing the mirror image on the silver CD surface can the credits be read. Also on the front cover, the artist name and title are obscured by rectangular cutouts that resemble computer punchouts (chads?)... On the inside cover, where the CD is held is the word, "listen", but when you lift the CD from the case, the entire quote from which it came is revealed: "i lived beyond extinction so far, you too children listen" which is a wonderful quote from the poetry of Anne Waldman. The design is a perfect culmination for this project, which I waited 5 years to see released, It shows the strong design sense which I respect so much in Russian art coming perhaps from the Constructivist styles, but definitely evolving beyond.

So, for the design students that frequent this site I thought it might be interesting to see how this was done, check out my gallery or go here: [link]