sound installation 24 h
Reflector is a work consisting of a 24-hour sound composition, which repeats continuously throughout the exhibition period. The sound is played through megaphones mounted on a wooden pole, connected to a transmission network. The composition is based on sound recordings collected over a two-week period in the immediate surroundings of the installation. In order to avoid overwhelming the site acoustically, the performance frequency of the recorded sound fragments corresponds to the natural soundscape of the location. The installation reflects the site’s characteristic sound environment while simultaneously extending and subtly shifting it. Additional keywords include public and private space, noise pollution, and the low-cost functionalist aesthetics of transmission networks.
Raul Keller: “The creation of the original work happened to coincide with the April 2007 riots in Tallinn, commonly referred to as the ‘Bronze Night’. As a result, the installation’s sound programme included recordings of the events, which were then played back regularly for approximately two weeks. After the exhibition at Tallinn Art Hall ended, the pole with the megaphones (without the sound component) was never removed, gradually becoming an almost invisible artwork. It remained in place for years and was only dismantled later, when the communication infrastructure in front of Tallinn Art Hall was upgraded.”
The work was originally created for the exhibition New Wave at Tallinn Art Hall in 2007, curators Anders Härm and Marco Laimre. The version in EKKM is a reconstruction of the original installation, while the current sound composition was recorded in 2021 as part of the project Rescripted Visit to the EKKM Collection.