Baudouin Oosterlynck. Photo © Leopold Oosterlynck
Deemed by Guardian writer Adrian Searle as “One of the most elegant art spaces in London” on the 28th of June, South London Gallery on 65 Peckham Road, opens yet another fantastic group show! ‘At the moment of being heard‘ brings together works and performances by a group of international artists, musicians and composers engaging with sound and modes of listening. Some of the artists include: Crys cole, Leif Elggren , Rolf Julius, Eli Keszler, Baudouin Oosterlynck , Reiner Ruthenbeck. Installed throughout the galleries and connecting spaces, the exhibition is presented in parallel with a series of live performances and special events, both at the SLG and at nearby off-site venues as part of SLG Local.
Junko Wada, Chidori II. Photo: Akinbode Akinbiyi
With performances, special events and installations by: Oren Ambarchi, Tom White, Tetsuya Umeda, Junko Wada, Rie Nakajima, Miki Yuri this show is sure to be a one of the most thrilling and thought provoking exhibtions of the summer.
In the main gallery, works place an emphasis on the act and intimacy of listening. Singing, 2000, by the late sound art pioneer Rolf Julius comprises seven suspended speakers which emanate a low, resonant hum, whilst Julius’s large printed ‘dot’ score and a photograph by Reiner Ruthenbeck showing someone closing the shutters outside a gallery, conjure the gesture of a noise without actually making a sound.
Canadian sound artist crys cole focuses on the delicacy of minimal sonic environments, presenting a sound sculpture, entitled filling a space with salt (in two parts), that is created and located within the gallery floor’s vents.
Acting as a metronomic accent amidst a room of otherwise subtle sounds, New York-based artist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Eli Keszler’s newly commissioned work using piano wires criss-crosses the gallery, periodically struck by mechanical beaters.
In the first floor galleries, score-drawings documenting moments of silence by avant-garde Belgian sound artist Baudouin Oosterlynck are presented alongside a three-screen video installation by Rolf Julius, entitled Volcanoes II, 2010.
Within the connecting spaces between the galleries are multiple iterations of Swedish composer, writer, performer and conceptual artist Leif Elggren’s ongoing project, for which he reappropriates the colour combination of yellow and black, traditionally used to express danger or to demarcate a border.
Eli Keszler, L Carrier installation, Eyebeam, New York City, June 2012
More about South London Gallery:
The South London Gallery has an international reputation for its programme of contemporary art exhibitions and live art events, with integrated education projects for children, young people and adults. Five exhibitions each year profile the work of established international figures such as, Mark Dion, Rivane Neuenschwander, Alfredo Jaar and Superflex; as well as that by younger and mid-career British artists such as Eva Rothschild and Ryan Gander. Group shows bring together works by established and lesser known British and international artists.
Exhibitions are free, as well as many of the SLG’s events. The gallery is also open until 9pm on Wednesday evenings and the last Friday of the month.
