Experiment in F# Minor, by artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, is an array of bare speakers of all shapes and sizes set upright on a large wooden table. Like a conductor at the head of an orchestra, visitors will create a sculptured music symphony with their movements and position in the space. Light sensors are inlaid into the edge of the table and as viewers move around the room, their shadows will cause the various sound and instrumental tracks to fade up, overlap, mingle and fade down.
Whether the sound of an organ, violin, electric guitar, horn, tonal vocal track, or a cacophony of many musical compositions is heard, will depend on where the audience walks and how many people are in the room. When the space is empty, the table fades to silence.
For over three decades, Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller have crafted multimedia environments that offer multi-sensory experiences. Their works incorporate sound, technologies, and objects that seem somehow obsolete. They divide their time between Grindrod, British Columbia and Berlin, Germany.
Experiment in F# Minor runs from January 18 until March 15, 2020, at the Kelowna Art Gallery. The exhibition is held in conjunction with the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus’ Living Things Festival.
The Kelowna Art Gallery is located at 1315 Water Street in downtown Kelowna. For more information about current exhibitions, public programming or special events, please visit the Kelowna Art Gallery online at kelownaartgallery.com or call 250-762-2226.