SWELL - september 2017
Swell is a 5.1 installation which draws on my physical form, and the extreme transformations my abdomen undergoes following an allergic reaction.
My reaction can last anywhere from 1 week to a few months, with it comes chronic fatigue, floppy limbs, difficulty breathing etc. Through the medium of sound, the use of pure tone - dissonance and beating, I seek to express the life long trauma and challenges of having a chronic illness. The score for the piece is made up of 5 curves traced from my body, ranging from normal - to the first signs of swelling - to my largest point.
Each speaker follows its own curve - its own voice.
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The installation is structured in three parts
> 1.Falling/Coma - the installation is in darkness, the audience (max 4 ppl) is asked to remove their shoes and handed torches to find their way into the center of the space. Shadows from the speakers around the walls - dizzy, the audience falls prey to the shadow dance and surrenders by lying on the ground. As the first speaker emits sound, all torches are switched off.
> 2. Waking - As the sound diffusion ends, a white circle fades into the space to ‘wake’ the audience. Here they rise, and make their way to the exit.
> 3. Sirens - As the audience leaves the installation, the lights change to blue and red.