The ruptures of the last few years have been trying to habituate the human psyche to immense fluctuations. Surging like ocean waves, people’s moods gain resonance and give rise to all-out destruction or mobilise the society for struggle and resilience.
During war and dangerous situations, the most effective means of warning is propagating sound emitted by devices known as sirens or howlers. Sirens are also ancient Greek mythical beings, half-women, half-birds said by Homer to lure sailors. Howlers (Alouatta) are a species of monkeys that can howl extremely loudly; male monkeys usually do that to attract females or to scare off rivals.
The exhibition seeks to draw attention to alarm devices, ancient Greek mythical entities, and contemporary research on the properties of sound. Spectacularly engineered equipment, beings capable of scaring and luring, and fetishisation of sound timbre and audio playback gear come together in the exhibition. Myths, wild nature, and the impact of sound are related to the tradition of power display, which has recently become synonymous with evil. In times of war, tenderness and serenity are difficult to achieve, but the need for them remains.
The exhibition is a pilot presentation of the research “Image and Sound as Tools for Controlling and Relaxing the Human Psyche”.
Author and initiator of the exhibition: Žygimantas Augustinas
Sound: Antanas Dombrovskis
Technical installation works: Tauras Kensminas
Consultants: Skaidra Trilupaitytė, Jurij Dobriakov, Paulius Garbačiauskas
Exhibition supported by: Lithuanian Council for Culture, Vilnius Academy of Arts, JSC Sonnenburg LT electronic sirens
Thanks: Inga and Arvydas of Sonnenburg LT, Ieva Augustinienė, Sigitas Motoras
Opening of the exhibition will take place on the 10th of October at 6:30 PM at the VAA gallery Artifex (Gaono st. 1, Vilnius)
Translation: Jurij Dobriakov
