Tania Candiani

Language as Sound. Six Channels. 2018. Video Installation in six channels

This multi-channel piece is based on the musicality and rhythm of the Polish language. Specifically, the six sounds that are unique to that language. The cut consonants seem to reveal punctuation in the language. The voices of the singers create a monolithic structure, a sculpture of sound. The assembly in six separate channels obeys the interest of converting each of the sounds into autonomous. By not being synchronized, each channel is presented as individual voices that, when they are out of phase, produce rhythms and cadences produced by chance.

The place where the piece was recorded was the Royal Rifle Factory that worked during the 19th century, that at the time of recording remained in semi ruins. The building of the old factory, located in the district of Dolne Miasto (Lower Town) in Gdansk, is an integral element of the work, as it becomes an instrument in itself. Its concrete walls, columns, floors, and ceilings resonate. Spatial acoustics allows one to “listen” to architecture, to experience it sensory. The collective gestures of the choir create a structure, hypnotizing the viewer for the duration of the piece.