janet cardiff and george bures miller at the biennale of sydney 2008

another one of the venues designboom visited while at the biennale of sydney was pier 2/3. built in the early 1900’s and located in the historic walsh bay, it is the last original wharf structure remaining in sydney. on view at pier 2/3 were three projects, including ‘the murder of crows’, a sound installation by canadian artists janet cardiff and george bures miller.

inspired by goya’s ‘the sleep of reason produces monsters’ from the series of etchings called ‘caprichos’ (1799), ‘the murder of crows’ is artists’ largest installation to date. the immense, industrial space of pier 2/3 is filled with 100 speakers which are mounted on stands, chairs and walls to create the effect of a minimalist ‘flock’. in the centre of the installation, there is a large, single megaphone horn in which cardiff’s voice recites dreams and thoughts as if to be goya’s sleeper, absorbed by her own nightmares. to produce a ‘sound play’ the artists have included multiple soundscapes by freida abtan, tilman ritter and titus maderlechner. the installation invites viewers to sit amongst the moving field of sound and music that fills the space. the piece morphs in a dreamlike way from strict war marches to soft lullabies, acting much like a requiem to today’s battered world.

‘the murder of crows’ by janet cardiff and george bures miller, 2008 image © designboom

‘the murder of crows’ by janet cardiff and george bures miller, 2008 image © designboom

‘the murder of crows’ by janet cardiff and george bures miller, 2008 image © designboom

‘the murder of crows’ by janet cardiff and george bures miller, 2008 image © designboom

more: http://www.bos2008.com http://www.cardiffmiller.com

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