Speech - sound installation -  42,48 min., speak and spot on tripot, variable dimensions - 2017

 

»For several years I’ve been dealing with the power of one of the most important forms of political media: the speech. The rhetoric, structure and presentation of a speech can be very influential on the masses. A politician who can’t deliver a speech has little chance of advancing their agenda, much less surviving in the political landscape. There’s no room for error or weakness.
The acoustic piece ‘Speech’ consists of audio recordings of speeches by powerful politicians with the words edited out. What remains is the sounds heard between the words – the bodily sounds of the politicians concerned as they gasp for breath, moisten and smack their lips, clear their throat, etc. These are noises we normally only hear when sharing intimate moments with someone close to us. ‘Speech’ places the listener very close to the speaker – an unusually familiar situation which focuses attention on the speaker’s humanity and vulnerability.« 

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Commissioned by Documenta 14, Kassel, Germany. 

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Installation view at Schwartzsche Villa, Berlin, Germany.