Green Eggs And Ham at EspaceSono
My first blog ought to begin with a confession. It’s not really a juicy confession. In fact, it’s not that interesting a confession at all – but it’s a confession nonetheless, so here goes. I definitely didn’t approach the espaceSono installation with the right mindset. Fatigue, a nagging cold and time constraints probably hindered any potential appreciation I could have had for the exhibit. Shuffling from listening station to listening station, I tried on what seemed like countless headsets, furrowing my brow each time in a vain attempt to forge some form of relationship with the sound art I was experiencing. The fact that sound checks were being held for a show that was scheduled at the exhibit that night didn’t really help my situation either. More often than not, the faint eccentric sounds emanating from my headset were drowned out by rattling drum kits, electric guitars and frequent mic checks.
In his curatorial statement, EspaceSono’s Tobias C. Van Veen asks, “how does one exhibit the unseen? Can sound, too, be experienced as an art, or is it always submitted to the sign of music?” I don’t believe that in order to be considered art, sound must always fall within the “music” rubric. I just don’t feel that EspaceSono successfully created a listening environment that was conducive to appreciating the sound art that was on display. Regardless of the interfering sound checks, I found the exhibits too closely crammed together; in addition, the exhibit felt very pieced-together and disjointed. I really felt as though I were marching from one headset to the next, listening to sounds that had no particular relationship to each other or the spatial/visual installation they were being presented in.
Borrowing inspiration from Dr. Seuss, I conclude that I did not appreciate the exhibit standing up, I did not like it sitting down, I did not like it on a bed, I did not like it in a tent, I did not like it in a box…and you get the picture.
In an effort to end this post on a positive note, I did find that stethoscope/vibrating bell installation pretty pleasing. I appreciated the unexpected incorporation of a familiar object into an artwork that was aesthetically pleasing, interactive and, for lack of a more refined explanation, pretty fun to play around with.
EspaceSono: Upgrade Mtl. 15 Sept. 2007. < http://upgrademtl.org/archives/Sept0507.htm>.
My apologies for the soundcheck in SAT’s Cafe space. It has been a consistent downfall of SAT’s Gallery space for all the exhibitions that have presented there. Unfortunately there is little I can do about it. As for espaceSONO, I would consider giving it a second chance. Though the exhibition is tight due to the space constraints of the Gallery (which I can do very little about), the pieces have been chosen to relate to the place of their installation. For example, the pieces inside the Cube have all been particularly placed for their ‘dark’ characteristics. The two pieces from Fransciso Lopez, for example, who calls for his work to be heard in the dark, are in the darkened cube. The pieces on the bed, for example, were placed their to facilitate a long listening session, even a quasi-sleep state. And the couch offers the most inviting pieces, while the tent offers pieces that, while not as inwardly-focused as the cube, nonetheless call for a more private encounter. Each DVD station has been ordered alphabetically, yet various artists repeat themselves at each station, thus offering the chance — such as with ERUPTION — to hear different works in different listening environments. In any case, I challenge you to name a single sound-art exhibit that has gone this far to engage the listener with an environment. Frankly, sound-art submissions that are not installations are usually placed in CD players mounted to the wall. I would hope you would agree this exhibit is more successful than that. In the meantime, I would suggest checking it out again. Feel free to contact me for a free guestlist to our show on the 27th featuring several of the exhibition’s artists, and I would be happy to offer you a private tour. cheers, tobias c. van Veen [ tobias (at) upgrademtl (dot) org ].