FIX09
artist: Phil Hessian
title: …pierced them to their tender hearts…
date: 01.10.09
duration: 20 mins
The lights are switched off. A UV darklight is left on, picking up green tape on the floor. The glowing green lines converge to a focal point where the artist sits facing the audience and facing seven cameras mounted onto tripods. The still cameras are wired to microphones and to mobile phones. When a caller rings a mobile it sets off the camera flash; its noise amplified – an electronic whine followed by the boom of the flash. The associations of mobile phones used as devices to trigger bombs and photographic flash units once used by the IRA as detonators adds a promise of threat to the performance. With a Uilleann pipe player sat to his left, Phil starts singing traditional Irish ballads. Someone calls the mobile attached to a camera flash call camera as often or as little as they like hum whine of flash attached to microphones mobile electronic uilleann pipe player traditional Irish Banks of the Bann incidental booms amplified flash electronic whine 12 seconds from phone call to flash boom down whine sitting some standing after-red of flash 4 missed calls O’Donnell Lord’s son hard to watch voice fighting through eclectro noises and flashes Lord O’Donnell sat his wife on his knee free stall in singing call the wall phone ring green arrow on screen down whine pause drone pipes turning voice into pipes boom Irish ballad Greenwood sigh all along along alonley down by fire she had a pen keen and sharp blue reflash all down the flash roll back go yer boy all blinded de de de de de de de de da da pipes from phone ringtone boom boom boom boom boom all down her pretty wood face boom she’s so free all down by the all along along so fine by the green sigh round by all flash boom flash boom a tender heart boom boom day down whine a-lonely e-minor chord did you have have applause cheers white plastic lilies on the chair in the gallery office sit read notes
