Art Museum's prize winning Venice exhibit in Philadelphia
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
The Golden Lion has finally come to Philadelphia. That is an award given to the Philadelphia Museum of Art at one of the most prestigious art expos in the world – the Venice Bienalle. The exhibit featured a sound installation by American artist Bruce Nauman. The art work can now be seen – and heard – at the Art Museum.
Listen:
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At first, it sounds like a jumble of voices. The room is empty, but for seven pairs of speakers arranged as a corridor. When the viewer – or listener – walks between the speakers, the voices clarify and become a rhythmic recitation of the days of the week.
It's meant to evoke the passage of time, complete with a-rhythmic hiccups. Curator Carlos Basualdo says the experience changes in different rooms – a gallery space in Philadelphia is different from a renovated church in Venice.
Basualdo: In Venice the room was so narrow you almost couldn't hear at all the voices at the same time – you hear fragments of voices. A grand room – very evocative with Venetian pavement, so it was completely different.
The installation is in two parts, the English version in the main building, and an Italian version in the nearby Perelman Building.
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