Resounding

Opening Reception Thursday 28 May at 8 pm RESOUNDING presents works by five artists that explore unexpected ways of generating sound, either through the manipulation of musical instruments – both real and toy versions – or through the construction of musical objects. Through these works the artists examine ideas about intended and unintended ‘music’, harmony and disharmony and what happens when human control is partially relinquished in the pursuit of specific musical outcomes. Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla’s video Returning a Sound was filmed on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques to commemorate the re-opening to the public of former military lands. In the video, a trumpet has been attached to the tailpipe of a motorcycle’s exhaust system. As the motorcycle is driven around the once restricted route, the trumpet ‘plays’ sounds produced by the engine’s RPMs punctuated with stutters caused by the bumpy roads. Playing Piano by Marla Hlady is a partially deconstructed upright player piano prepared in the spirit of John Cage. A perforated paper roll cues a computer, microprocessors and pneumatic pumps to activate various devices which create multiple sounds from within the altered piano. Peter Flemming’s Stepper Motor Choir features 12 small motors spinning panes of glass that create unique ringing ‘notes’ generated by the vibrations of each motor. The rotational speed of the motors is dependent on the amount of power available from the externally mounted solar panels – as the power fluctuates over the course of the day, the sounds produced vary from harmonious to discordant. Daniel Olson’s audio, video and performance works complete the exhibition. Olson records sounds that he produces using a variety of musical instruments, toys and everyday objects, such as a pasta cutter in the audio work La Chittara. These recordings are then edited and processed to create immersive multi-layered soundtracks that evoke uncanny soundscapes. RESOUNDING is curated by Dalhousie Art Gallery’s Sym Corrigan and Peter Dykhuis as part of Sound Bytes 2009: Halifax Art and Audio, a citywide festival taking place at local galleries and performance venues throughout May and June.