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The K Foundation was an art foundation set up by Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty (The KLF) in 1993, following their 'retirement' from the music industry. The Foundation served as an artistic outlet for the duo's post-retirement KLF income. Between 1993 and 1995, they spent this money in a number of ways, including on a series of Situationist-inspired press adverts and extravagant subversions in the art world, focusing in particular on the Turner Prize. Most notoriously, when their plans to use banknotes as part of a work of art fell through, they burned a million pounds in cash. The K Foundation announced a 23-year moratorium on all projects from November 1995. They further indicated that they would not speak about the burning of the million pounds during the period of this moratorium. ==Context== In the early 1980s, British musician and artist Jimmy Cauty was the guitarist in an underachieving pop/rock band, Brilliant.〔Robbins, I., "KLF", ''Trouser Press'' magazine ((link )). Retrieved 20 April 2006.〕 Brilliant had been signed to WEA Records by A&R man Bill Drummond,〔LeRoy, D., Brilliant biography, ''Allmusic'' ((link ))〕 formerly a member of the Liverpool group Big in Japan,〔"Big in Japan - Where are they now?", ''Q Magazine'', January 1992 ((link ))〕 the manager of The Teardrop Explodes and Echo & the Bunnymen,〔"Tate tat and arty", ''New Musical Express'', 20 November 1993 ((link ))〕 and co-founder of the independent record label Zoo Records.〔Reynolds, Simon, ''Rip It Up And Start Again: Post-punk 1978-1984'', ISBN 0-571-21570-X〕 In 1986, Brilliant released their one and only album - ''Kiss The Lips Of Life'' - before splitting up.〔LeRoy, D., ''Kiss the Lips of Life'' review, ''Allmusic'' ((link ))〕 In the same year, Drummond left WEA Records to record a solo album.〔Shaw, W., "Special K", ''GQ'' Magazine, April 1995 ((link ))〕 Whilst out walking on New Year's Day, 1987, Drummond hit upon an idea for a hip-hop record but, he said, knowing "nothing, personally, about the technology", he needed a collaborator. Drummond called Jimmy Cauty who agreed to join him in a new band called The Justified Ancients of Mu-Mu (The JAMs).〔BBC Radio 1 "Story Of Pop" documentary interview with Bill Drummond. First BBC broadcast believed to have been in (late 1994 ), and was transmitted by Australian national broadcaster ABC on (1 January 2005 ). Transcript taken from the (KLF FAQ ).〕 The JAMs' debut release, the single "All You Need Is Love", was released as an underground white label on 9 March 1987.〔Longmire, Ernie et al. (KLF discography ) Compiled by Ernie Longmire, this has been the authoritative KLF discography on the internet for some 10 years or more and has been the subject of long-term scrutiny and peer review by KLF fans and collectors. It is now maintained by the fan site klf.de. Retrieved 19 June 2006.〕 By 1991, the duo—now calling themselves The KLF—had become the best-selling singles band in the world and, according to the ''Allmusic'', were "on the verge of becoming superstars".〔Bush, J., KLF biography, ''Allmusic'' ((link ))〕 Instead, in May 1992 they machine-gunned a music industry audience at the BRIT Awards (albeit with blanks) and quit the music business.〔"() had been the year of Bill's 'breakdown', when The KLF, perched on the peak of greater-than-ever success, quit the music business, (toy) machine gunned the tuxedo'd twats in the front row of that year's BRIT Awards ceremony and dumped a sheep's carcass on the steps at the after-show party." Martin, G., "The Chronicled Mutineers", ''Vox'', December 1996 ((link ))〕 By their own account, neither Drummond nor Cauty kept any of the money that they made as The KLF; it was all ploughed back into their extravagant productions. Cauty told an Australian ''Big Issue'' writer in 2003 that all the money they made as The KLF was spent, and that the royalties they accrued post-retirement amounted to approximately one million pounds: Although the duo had deleted their back catalogue in the UK with immediate effect, international licensees retained the contractual right to distribute KLF recordings for a number of years. The KLF, like any other artist, were also entitled to Performing Right Society royalties every time one of their songs was played on the radio or television. Rather than spend these earnings or invest them for personal gain, the duo decided the money would be used to fund a new art foundation - The K Foundation.〔Reid, J., "Money to burn", ''The Observer'', 25 September 1994, ''passim'' ((link ))〕 "Having created an artistic machine that created money", said ''GQ'' Magazine, "they () invented a machine for destroying it."〔Shaw, W., "Special K", ''GQ'' Magazine, April 1995 ((link ))〕 Quite what the Foundation, this money-destroying machine, would do with the million pounds plus was still undecided. Music journalist Sarah Champion pointed out (prior to the million pound fire) that, "Being 'in the money' doesn't mean they'll ever be rich. (and Cauty will ) always be skint, but their pranks will get more extravagant. If they earned £10 million, they'd blow it all by buying Jura or a fleet of K Foundation airships or a Van Gogh to be ceremonially burned."〔Sharkey, A., "Trash Art & Kreation", ''The Guardian Weekend'', 21 May 1994〕 "There are things we'd like to do which we haven't done.", Drummond told a journalist in 1991. "Totally ludicrous things. We want to buy ships, have submarines. They really are stupid things I know, but I feel confident that in the event of us selling ten million albums we would definitely go out and buy a submarine....Just to be able to say 'Look we've got a submarine and 808 State haven't'."〔Morton, R., "One Coronation Under A Groove", ''New Musical Express'', 22 January 1991 ((link )).〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「K Foundation」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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