Then Ether
(2007)
Responsive Light and sound environment
Speakers, lights, microphones, custom electronics, custom
programming
Then Ether (2007) is a responsive multi-channel sound and
light environment. It records viewers as they enter and
exit the space, and plays these sound clips within the
larger installation space. Untitled (fade) (2007) deals
with the memory of its space, and the activity that was
once within it. Sound files play shortly after they are
recorded, so that viewers are able to hear themselves
within the installation. The file then slips into a
database, playing back randomly over time. At times, the
installation space is relatively calm and quiet. At other
times, the space swells with sound, triggering many
“memories” (sound files) at one time, creating a mild
cacophony that will exist within it’s walls. This is
symbolic to the haphazard and random nature of memory, as
well as the questionability of being able to access it.
The
sound is constantly refreshing, to include the most recent
memories, combined with sporadic instances and sporadic
swarms, of distant memories. These distant memories are
broken- playing at random points within the file, rarely
playing from the beginning to the end, which fractures
their instance and their identity. Re-introducing the most
recent past with the late past, elongates and collapsing
each viewer’s sense of time while orienting them
comparatively in the lifespan of the installation. The
viewer is not merely the center of the piece as it runs,
but slowly becomes part of the fabric of it’s existence in
the space, long after their body is absent. They have an
ongoing effect in the space, but not an on-going control.
The durational nature of this installation enlarges the
installation space by expanding and abounding upon the
notion of time and presence of the viewer, going beyond
their physical bodies. This installation freezes moments,
and allows viewers to continually enter the space, long
after their bodies are gone.