Privy

Privy is a sonic investigation of social behaviour at the permeable border between the private and the public. The work 'mirrors' what we say and how we act on the phone while in public places. A series of studio recorded narrations are scripted from actual phone conversations similar to those you can hear all around you in public places. The emotional intensity of the audio highlights aspects of invasion of privacy (as experienced by the listener as opposed to the speaker's privacy).

Privy is exhibited in two distinctly different forms. Initially the work was located in the cubicles of the public toilets on Tamarama Beach. Visiting the toilets, the audience unexpectedly encountered one-sided telephone conversations. Every now and then, the context of the one-sided dialogues matched up approximating a conversation, whilst completely unrelated at other times, or even talking over each other. Privy utilised the performative character of the location as one of the mediums of the work.

A second version of Privy is conceived for the courtyard of the Arts & Design Faculty at Monash University using two directional speakers. They emit two distinct audio patterns that amalgamate at the crossing of two paths joining two individual one-sided dialogues. The context can be unrelated, spoken on top of each other or resemble a conversation.

Duke Albada
+ 61 (0)2 66763235
+ 61 (0)413 392788
duke_albada@yahoo.com
www.duke-albada.com.au

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• privy
• duke albada
• sound art
• phone art
• mobile phone
• public conversations
• sculpture
• art installation
• multisensory art
• soundscape