Yesterday, I spent 45 minutes or so walking—softly at first, then doing my "Max in Wild Things" impression—around Ruffin Gallery while listening to and contributing to Peter Traub‘s in-process sound collage, "Solera." While next week’s column touches more on the exhibit, Traub’s installation raises a few interesting questions about self-awareness and self-perception that bear a quick mention here. Read below for more.
For "Solera," Traub installed microphones and speakers in Ruffin Gallery to record the space’s ambient noises—people clomping up and down stairs, studio chatter, coughing, etc. Each day, the previous days’ sounds are layered over one another and replayed the following day while new noise is recorded. Being aware of this is a powerful motivator to either make a ruckus or keep mum. Audio after the picture.
Psychologically, what prevents or motivates artists to include or omit personal qualities or traits in a self-portrait or an autobiography? What’s your strongest motivator to behave a certain way in a public setting? Shame? Anxiety? Vulnerability? What audible habits do you have that you’d refer to keep to yourself? Leave your thoughts below.
Here’s what I heard yesterday in "Solera," one day after its opening. Listen to audio clips here and here.