More than 200 works of art on the ground floor of the Ludwig Forum Aachen have been removed to make room for the installation Seven Tears, a piece by the Scottish artist Susan Philipsz. But the walls remain white; the rooms empty. For the seven-part artwork of this winner of the Turner Prize 2010 is invisible – a polyphonic sound installation played through 23 speakers in the central hall. One instrumental piece and 6 madrigals, ballads and rounds from the late 16th and early 17th centuries – all variations on the theme of water – interact to create a truly unique acoustic experience, adding a novel sculptural dimension to the architectural setting. Through the precisely choreographed sounds, visitors gain a totally new impression of what was formerly a factory floor. While they stroll around the hall, their perception is constantly changed by the soundscape.
With Seven Tears, Philipsz has further developed a sound installation that she presented in 2010 in the City of London entitled Surround me. There she played six Baroque songs at weekends in the empty streets and squares around the historical buildings of London’s traditional banking district. She has now added a new, seventh song to these earlier pieces to create a single, complex sound experience in the setting of the Ludwig Forum.
With the theme of water, Philipsz’ artwork for the Ludwig Forum makes reference to the history of the City of Aachen and its hot springs. Aachen’s centuries-old culture of bathing and drinking cures, and the disappearance of the hot springs from public street life played an important role in the conceptualisation of her installation.
Curated by: Anna Sophia Schultz
Earlier sound installations by the artist: http://ludwigforum.de/ausstellungen/archiv/2011/susan_philipsz/arbeiten-frueher/index.html
Susan Philipsz – Seven Tears, Installation Views
Photos: Carl Brunn / Ludwig Forum Aachen
