Present tense

Exhibited June 2010, West Space Gallery
36 dismantled transistor radios, radio waves, speakers, aerials, 1.5 kms of wire, foot switch, power supply

This work probes the tension between two ways of experiencing phenomena. One way is to experience things as happening in a linear sequential fashion across time; another way is to experience things as happening simultaneously, where time and space subside.

It’s an assemblage of 36 functioning dismantled transistor radios, speakers and aerials that can be activated by the viewer. The radios are set to different radio stations and operate simultaneously when activated. The viewer has no control over the volume or radio settings.

I want the materials, medium and form of the work to suggest a loose open system, that resides both inside and outside the building, not bound by the space it occupies, yet connected to invisible forces that enable its operation. Like a messy disembodied receiver pulsating with life.

Present tense allows the viewer to perform a simple experiment. By pressing a button they can break the relative silence and order of the gallery, and experience the intense cacophony of the present moment. Or they can simply ignore the whole thing and go shopping.