We have been planning solo audience shows in our house over the Christmas period. The audient is met at the gate to our alley way, shown into a darkened room. There are speakers arranged around a central armchair. The solo audience member, wearing a mask, sits in the chair, the lights dim to complete darkness. Sounds are played, sounds we haven’t witnessed for 8/9 months, the sound of being in a crowd, close-up singing, harmony singing, other people noise close-up. The sound piece lasts for 9 minutes, the light reappears, perhaps a match strike, a candle lit, an image of a huge staircase. Eyes adjust, the audience is shown to the front door to exit. The room is ventilated, the chair cleaned, door knobs wiped with anti-bacterial spray.
We begin again. 20 times a day for 13 days. If Tier levels allow. The show is called Dark Room: Listen In. Trained in wet processing photography ghosts of being in a photographic darkroom linger. Working with designer Paul Flack we have a beautiful poster celebrating the iconic design of the photographic printing world of decades ago. I’ll let you know if the shows go ahead.
