By Clare Beezhold
News Editor
Los Angeles County Museum of Arts’ “Sound Stories” exhibit fuses art and technology using an unexpected tool: sound. Christian Marclay, a visual artist, branches out from his typical style to bring viewers a fresh, new take on sounds in the 21st century.
Christian Marclay’s exhibition consists of a five-work installation making use of the unique feature of sounds and look of Snapchat. The artist worked in collaboration with “Snap Inc,” which created algorithms that analyzed millions of publicly posted Snapchats, allowing Marclay to select videos based on their sound profiles or noise.
The viewer journeys through five audio/visual installations in the nearly pitch-black galleries, starting with a half-circle of glowing cell phone screens. The installation titled “All Together” loops a series of 400 snaps across 10 screens, which are thematically synchronized, making a stimulating visual. The audio accompanying the videos is brilliantly conducted in a manner that is reminiscent of a song.
The “Tinsel Loop” piece uses a sonic element from Snapchat videos to play a calm, 18-note composition. The composition, designed to be played on a music box, is accompanied by two videos facing one another, which are unrelated to the sound that is being played. As each eerie note is played and each video flashes, the viewer is put into a state of shock, and has a chilling effect on viewers.
“The Organ” is the most dramatic of the rooms. The installation is interactive, consisting of an organ sitting at the center of a darkened room. With each touch of a key on the organ, a column of videos is released on an overhead screen with sound corresponding to the key’s actual tone. The room is entrancing with different combinations, taking a closer look at the images on display.
“Sound Stories” is on display at LACMA until Oct. 14. For more information regarding future exhibits, visit lacma.org.
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