Bruce Nauman, Days (2009) (Installation View)
At Bruce Nauman‘s “Days” at the Institute of Contemporary Art in London, a voice recites the days of the week, moving at its own pace, order and cadence along the seven item list, repeating it ad infinitum. It is joined by thirteen other voices doing the same, each one listing the days in their own unique rhythm and order, creating a cacophony of human sound, calling to attention our own treatments of time, and gently playing with the concepts of relative values.
Bruce Nauman, Days (2009) (Installation View)
Such is the effect of Bruce Nauman’s Days, a fourteen channel sound installation currently on view at the Institute of Contemporary Art in London. Exploring the capabilities of sound when distilled down to basic elements, Nauman creates a dense, intricate soundscape of interwoven voices, working in unison or clashing against each other.
Bruce Nauman, Days (2009) (Installation View)
Breaking the voice away from the other essential traits of human existence, Nauman is able to populate a raw, empty space with a complex network of sound that is as alienating as it is familiar. Visitors are constantly confronted with the unique proposition of being physically alone in a room of voices obsessively recounting their weeks.
Bruce Nauman, Days (2009) (Installation View)
Days is open until September 16th.
—D. Creahan
Images are taken from the Royal Academy of Art and The Guardian websites
Institute of Contemporary Art
The Guardian on Days
Bruce Nauman on PBS
