This piece was conceived as the cyber/virtual/internet-version of the installation “Chronopoetics of Wendelstein Cave” 2015. This sound installation version runs from 1st-30th June 2015 at the Wendelstein Cave in Bayrischzell, Bavaria and was part of a group exhibition or “höhlenmediale” curated by Alois Späth “Zeit-Moment-Ewigkeit”. The original piece works with the geographical location of the cave and its geological time-frame – the cave is today Germany’s highest visitor cave (“Deutschlands höchste Schauhöhle”) at 1711m above standard-zero, but due to the form of the cave (in the Bavarian alps) geologists have ascertained that several million years ago it was underwater and formed by a river. I decided to make this the focal point of the composition, and I had the location of cave with the natural entrance with an easterly direction, hence natural light and direct sunlight during morning hours. After researching the exact path of sun for that geolocation of latitude/longitude, I calculated the times in which the sun would shine into the cave directly and made this the high point of the composition (inspired by readings of the field of archaeoastronomy which looks at archaeological sites often positioned specifically towards astronomical events, e.g. summer/winter solstice). Using a recording of a rushing river, I did a partial analysis which forms the basis of the sound material. Whereas for the installation I chose sine-like tones, slowed down 100-500 times, to reflect the frozen time of the cave (accompanied by the frozen icicles and snow of the cave at this time of year), for the cyber-version I expanded the sound material with supersines and a few other sounds. Reversing the central position of the sun in the original piece, I made the moon the central point in this piece, hence the composition is at its fullest during the time the moon is high in the sky over Berlin (estimated at around 12midnight-1am). It is like the weird-dark-cyber-sister of the Bavarian installation. As it happens, the date the composition begins, 16th June is also the day of a new moon phase (dark moon). So whilst the piece is running on Chronopolis, I’m happy that it starts with a new moon phase, and that it runs parallel with the composition in Wendelstein!
Bio
Annie Goh (UK) is an artist and researcher working primarily with sound, space, electronic media and generative processes and their social and cultural contexts. She has been based in Berlin since 2008 and holds degrees in Sound Studies, Generative Art and German and European Studies. Recent exhibitions and performances include Arthackday at LEAP and transmediale (Berlin), Tokyo Wonder Site (Tokyo), NGBK (Berlin), Heidelberger Kunstverein (Heidelberg), Ars Electronica (Linz), NK (Berlin) and Klangstaetten Stadtklaenge (Braunschweig). She has co-curated the discourse program of CTM Festival since 2013 and is currently a guest lecturer at Berlin University of Arts (Art and Media) and Humboldt University (Media Studies).