Susan Philipsz | CI08 Life on Mars

Born: 1965, Glasgow, Scotland
Lives and Works: Berlin

At the heart of Susan Philipsz's ephemeral installations lie the infinite possibilities of sound to sculpt both the physical experience of space and the intangible recollections of memories. She records her own voice singing a cappella renditions of appropriated music and then projects the recordings in particular locations, imperceptibly transforming viewers' understanding of the architectural setting and magnifying their perception of the passage of time. Sunset Song (2003) consists of two recordings of "The Banks of the Ohio," an American folk song (based on a river originating in Pittsburgh) whose haunting lyrics relate a tale in which a spurned man drowns the object of his unrequited affections. With Philipsz singing both the male and female perspectives, the sound--powered by solar panels and projected here in the museum's Sculpture Courtyard--fades with the setting sun. In One and the Same (2008), created for this exhibition, Philipsz sings three overlapping renditions of a medieval ballad relating the story of a woman lured away from her husband and child by a returning lover. This installation can be heard in the Music Hall.

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Life on Mars, the 2008 Carnegie International

Widely known as one of the pre-eminent international surveys of contemporary art in the world, the Carnegie International was founded at the behest of industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1896. With the Venice Biennale, the Carnegie International is the oldest such exhibition in the world. Titled "Life on Mars", the 2008 Carnegie International will focus on the increasingly relevant question of what it means to be human in the world today. The exhibition presents work by 40 artists who investigate particular aspects of the human condition, moving along paths that are both introspective and worldly while poetically traversing the dramatic spectrum from tragedy to comedy.

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Life on Mars, the 2008 Carnegie International

Widely known as one of the pre-eminent international surveys of contemporary art in the world, the Carnegie International was founded at the behest of industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1896. With the Venice Biennale, the Carnegie International is the oldest such exhibition in the world. Titled "Life on Mars", the 2008 Carnegie International will focus on the increasingly relevant question of what it means to be human in the world today. The exhibition presents work by 40 artists who investigate particular aspects of the human condition, moving along paths that are both introspective and worldly while poetically traversing the dramatic spectrum from tragedy to comedy.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Art
• Carnegie
• International
• CI08
• Museum
• Carnegie-International

[jacksonmpa]

I love how people attack seemingly pleasant people with such misplaced vitriol. @leloby "show me your drawings I don't believe you, I can't even see your hands in this video, you MONSTER!" @swanley "You are making MUSIC, music is not an art form it is one of the four sciences, are you mental?" Etc. etc.

[leloby]

A performing monkey? Lets see your drawings then. I don't actually believe this claim.

[scotstyle]

congratulations, you have found the essence and shared it so beautifully. thank you

[brxust]

@swanley

Why do you think music is devoid of artistic merit?

[416dl]

@mchammby

If you do that, and produce a kind of documentary about it, I think you'd find an audience. Ironically, it might qualify it for the prize. And they could play it on Penn&Teller's cable program "bulls*t", and ultimately it would be back here on youtube.. cheers

[416dl]

@k8monsta

Well put. Thanks.



[9MrKevinc]

lowlands left me so sad, it is such a piece of art, that walks that line between beauty and dark reflecting the heart of a great city like Glasgow. maybe that's a kind of drawing? congratulations to Susan, and well done to the judges.

[swanley]

You are making MUSIC, not an instalation or 'art'. Can this woman really draw?

[ThomasRepkaFanClub]

This is just shite. It's not art.

[leloby]

Whoever rejected her in the past will be enjoying their excellent decision. Only money or mental illness will keep the Turner Prisze judges sleeping without guilt. Art has just been "devalued" further with this awful rubbish.