This 8-channel sound installation employs sound as a spatial camouflage, utilizing noises and the temporal structure derived from Glenn Gould’s recordings (1955 and 1981) of the Goldberg Variations as aural architectures. Notably, Gould expressed a fondness for the camouflage colour battleship grey (schlachtschiffgrau), as revealed in an interview he conducted with himself in "Vom Konzertsaal zum Tonstudio: Schriften zur Musik".
schlachtschiffgrau, for Glenn Gould & busy museum spaces, 2013
VERS 01: schalchtschiffgrau (1955): Lenght 38'34" VERS 02: schlachtschiffgrau (1981): Lenght 51'18"
As part of the installation, fragments of the original recording, comprising continuous high-pitched noises, are utilized as room exciters positioned discreetly throughout the museum space via concealed loudspeakers. This setup generates a multi-focal, subliminal shift in the exhibition space's ambience, synchronizing with the 32-part (Aria + 30 variations+ Aria da capo) temporal structure of the original composition and its interpretation. Altering the audience's listening positions produces nuanced shading effects facilitated by the architectural configuration of the building. Consequently, this fosters unique aural architectures for individual listeners, which evolve, collapse, and reconfigure with each transition to a new variation, occurring at the conclusion of the previous one.
2013 Kunstverein Bochum