Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Visual Art Currently Hanging
Posted by Jen Graves on Wed, Dec 3, 2008 at 12:43 PM
Susan Philipsz's installation Here Comes Everybody (2008), four-channel audio installation, 7 minutes 56 seconds
At Western Bridge. (Gallery site here.)
So this installation is two rooms next to each other, one with the lights on and with three speakers hanging on the walls, the other with no lights on and one speaker.
From the speakers comes the sound of the artist singing. In the dark room it's just her slightly wavering, imperfect voice singing what sounds like a depressive and uncatchy pop song ("I hate" this, "I hate" that). When the solo is over, the music begins in the light room, where you hear her voice again, elaborating on the melody, making it social by harmonizing. But this time you can't make out the words because she's doing it in Shapenote. (And actually, the call-and-response could be in reverse, from solo to congregation; I can't remember.) (She's singing the song Trees and Flowers from the band Strawberry Switchblade.) It's a simple installation that both makes you want to drag the lonely voice into the group, and to protect it from any incursion.
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