Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller are a pair of artists who use objects and spaces to create specific environments. Much of their work is interactive, and meant to be altered by the viewer through sound, touch, or simply presence. This is an old wooden work bench that the viewer touches in different places to create the sound in the room. Touching the table in different places creates different sounds from audio speakers around the room. There are sounds of people talking, [a car screeching, a telephone ringing, a knife being sharpened, a gun shot, movie music, a woman softly reciting the alphabet] and others. Each person dictates the exact composition of sound being created, so the ‘music’ is original and unique to them. The spotlight over the table in the dark room creates a quiet, solemn space that is interrupted by the noise created by interaction.
This is a solo work by Janet Cardiff, 1993.