Lots of buzz around the art world for Glasgow native, Susan Philipsz who was awarded the 2010 Turner Prize in December. This Scottish artist known for her sound installations in urban infrastructure and interiors of architecture has had quite the career in the last decade. Having exhibited at the Melbourne International Biennial in 1999, Manifesta 3 in Ljubljana in 2000, the Tirana Biennial in 2001, at Triennal of British Art at Tate Britain in 2003, the 16th Biennale of Sydney in 2008, and at the 55th Carnegie International in 2009, her work is internationally accredited. One of her most recent projects was a commission to install at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Philipsz' work deals primarily with the integration of sound and space through song. The gestures of sounds that Philipsz uses in her work range from pop culture, Scottish traditional music, to ambient rhythms. Philipsz herself sings the melodies that drone throughout her installations drawing upon her taste and background to instate her presence throughout the piece. Upon entering her work, viewers are enticed to interact with the space in hopes of an advent of a climax. Yet, I do not interpret the sound from Philipsz installations as necessarily pertinent to the visual environment or even the melodies of her song. For me, I come to realize that sound in this case song, imperatively depend on the acoustics of the space. I enjoy the way Philipsz songs interact with the physicality of the forum. It is in this work where the viewer, rather, the listener understands the properties of sound the incessancy of reverberation and audio abstraction in its container.
Blogs 01/07/2015
