Psycho Killer
Styrofoam, paint
9 x 234 x 153 in
23 x 594 x 389 cm
1998
Richard Humann • Psycho Killer • 9″ x 234″ x 153″ • Styrofoam, paint • 1998
Psycho Killer is a large-scale sculptural installation. Lyrics from the Talking Heads song have been translated into Morse code blocks. The bas relief dots and dashes spell out the song’s lyrics, and a decoder book was printed so that the installation can be read.
Richard Humann • Psycho Killer • 9″ x 234″ x 153″ • Styrofoam, paint • 1998
Richard Humann • Psycho Killer • 9″ x 234″ x 153″ • Styrofoam, paint • 1998
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Psycho Killer is a song by the American band Talking Heads, released on their 1977 debut album Talking Heads: 77.
Richard Humann met David Byrne, the lead singer of the band, at a vernissage event at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City in 1998. Richard discussed with David an idea he had to turn his song into a large-scale art installation, using Morse code blocks to convey the lyrics. David Byrne was intrigued by the idea and a few days later sent a document with written permission to do so.
The Psycho Killer installation was created during the summer of 1998 in Richard’s Brooklyn art studio and premiered at his solo exhibition at the Lance Fung Gallery in SoHo, NYC.
Photo credits: Joseph Silva / Richard Humann Studio