| GALLERY
resonare/in
absentia
resonare/in
absentia installation included as part of discoveries
xxxiiii spring concert, university of aberdeen, marischal
museum
[concert]
[installation]
[concert
review] [curratorial
review] [mp3
sample] (featured
on bbc radio 4-mp3 clip)
Resonare/In
Absentia
In
April 2005, I was invited to create a sound installation
within the Marischal Museum of Aberdeen Scotland as
part of the University of Aberdeen’s spring electroacoustic
concert. As I toured the museum, I was struck by the
variety of artifacts from various cultures sitting quietly
behind thick plates of glass. There was a distinct sense
of separation between myself and the artifacts, as though
I were looking at something that no longer had any relevance
to the present and which were completely inaccessible
to me even as an artist. There was the feeling of looking
at the spoils of war over many years from different
societies rather than examples of ‘culture’.
My
immediate idea was to somehow give these artifacts voice,
allowing their presence to extend beyond the barrier
of glass and metal, and to involve the space of the
museum itself as well as the observer within that space.
Once
explaining my intention, I was granted access to the
museum's collection of ancient Greek pottery. I wanted
to honor these objects without misappropriating their
identity, as so often happens with museum artifacts.
I decided to focus on the resonance that dwells within
each vase, building a multiple cd/speaker installation
that combined these delicate hums and whispers.
(photo
by neil curtis)
My
intention was to metaphorically ‘leave no fingerprints’
in that I intended to focus on the vases untreated and
un-manipulated resonances. By using miniature microphones
carefully dipped within the center of each vase, I attempted
to keep my contact to a minimum.
Later
when editing the source recordings, miniscule unintentional
sounds made by myself became apparent. I decided to
incorporate them into the installation to remind myself
that even with the best intentions, it is impossible
to not leave some trace when coming into contact with
another culture.
(photo
by neil curtis)
In extending the resonances into the observer’s
space, my hope was to somehow include the observer as
part of the exhibit, and to break down the separation
between the artifacts, the space, and the observer.
The sounds come into the room very slowly across four
speakers, combining randomly with each other (over 100
tracks of audio) and fade out over several minutes.
Often one doesn’t realize that the sounds have
ceased and that they are indeed listening to the natural
resonance of the room.
After launching the installation, the curator Neil Curtis
mentioned that the vases were used both as ceremonial
wine vases for the living, as well as being buried with
the dead. They have resounded then with the voices of
the living as well as the quiet stillness of the dead
and will continue to long after we have observed them.
'Resonare' means to sound and resound, and 'in absentia'
means in the absence of. This work attempts to give
voice to the resonance within these vases that have
quietly reflected the sounds around them since they
came into existence.
Bill
Thompson
www.billthompson.org
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