Gallery Visit/Artist Research @ Baltic, Newcastle: Susan Philipsz, Jasmina Cibic.
"Nada: Act I", Jasmina Cibic.
"A Single Voice", Susan Philipsz.
"Everything We Do Today Will Look Heroic In The Future", Jasmina Cibic.
"A Single Voice", Susan Philipsz.
"A Single Voice", Susan Philipsz.
My trip to the Baltic last week was a mixed bag overall, and my intentions to be inspired by the current art being exhibited didn't really turn out how I expected. The main artist I was interested in was Susan Philipsz, as I am primarily working with a combination of sound and visual art in my practice and wanted to see how her installation, "A Single Voice", combined the two.
I might not have understood the concept fully but it felt lacking, layering different tones of a violin to create an immersing experience didn't work for me because it was just singular, drawn out notes on a stringed instrument, no real structure or musical creativity was present and it seemed like she didn't utilise the concept, one that had a lot of hype for me and a lot of room for creativity/uniqueness, to it's full potential in terms of the sound, but I guess studying music for a while has left me more critical and biased. I like more activity/content when sound is being utilised, especially when the violin, an instrument that can create such an emotional and unique atmosphere, is used for just 12 notes and nothing else, it's a shame.
I have to say that the visual aspect of the piece, the video being displayed, was put together very professionally, using well placed shots of the musician's face and movements, but the fact that the sound was so void of expression and atmosphere tainted the whole experience for me.
Jasmina Cibic and her "This Machine Builds Nations" managed to stop this negative spiral I was in after I saw her installation, there was a unique combination of a wide range of practices, performance, music and sculpture, but the "Nada: Act I" piece really stood out to me and gave me a few creative ideas to experiment with and possibly implement.
The instrument incorporating architectural design was a nice touch and has made me think about the possibility of creating my own instruments, not only to create sound but to become a sculpture afterward in an installation. I need to go on more trips to contemporary galleries to find an artist I can really relate to in terms of artistic practice and general drive/inspirations.