Luke Conroy and Anne Fehres | Talk To Me – Pampus Island
18.04. – 15.05.2021
Talk To Me is a humorous and thoughtful sound project which aims to explore the possibility for Human communication with the ‘other-than-human’. It does so through the creation of various absurdist, fictional dialogues with objects/entities.
In this project the artists created fictional dialogues with three natural objects on the island. Each of these sound works takes the audience on a journey through each object’s life. The story of each object offers an examination of the human condition, ultimately touching on the basic things that make us who we are and encourage a greater imagination towards the earthly objects all around us.
The online exhibition is a reworking of the first edition of this project, which originally premiered for Het Klimaatmuseum in August 2020 on Pampus Island in The Netherlands. Pampus Island is an artificial island built in the waters surrounding Amsterdam, with the original intention to defend the country against invaders. In this online version, rather than experiencing the works on location, the audio pieces are presented alongside videos captured on location at Pampus Island.
[evp_embed_video url=”https://taktberlin.org/wp-content/uploads/202104-luke-conroy-anne-ferres-dario.mp4″]
A conversation with Dario – Blade of Grass
Dario is a blade of grass on Pampus. Located in a popular sitting area, the enthusiastic Dario is happiest when one of the visitors to the island makes contact with him. In this conversation, Dario encourages intimacy with the listener, talks about life on the lawn and reveals what it’s like to be mowed.
[evp_embed_video url=”https://taktberlin.org/wp-content/uploads/202104-luke-conroy-anne-ferres-maria.mp4″]
A conversation with Maria – Basalt Stone
Maria is a basalt stone, one of many used to build the artificial island Pampus over 125 years ago. While this might seem like a long time for the listener, for Maria it is only a small part of her much longer existence. Over time Maria has had plenty of time to think about life and during this conversation she will impart some of her wisdom on the listener.
[evp_embed_video url=”https://taktberlin.org/wp-content/uploads/202104-luke-conroy-anne-ferres-vicky.mp4″]
A conversation with Vicky – Elderberry Tree:
Vicky is an elderberry tree, whose life on the island of Pampus began with shame and is now filled with uncertainty. While Vicky has aspirations for her life, she feels alone, unsure and unwanted. During this conversation, Vicky slowly reveals herself to the listener, discussing her worries in the present and her dreams for the future.
LISTENING GUIDE: For the best experience, please listen with headphones. As these works were originally designed to be listened ‘on location’ there are sometimes instructions to use your senses or movement to interact with the objects you are hearing from. The artists encourage you to use your imagination in these moments and be an active listener.
About the artists:
Anne Fehres and Luke Conroy are an international artist duo based in The Netherlands who have worked collaboratively since 2016. From our diverse geographic and disciplinary backgrounds, in our projects we bring together a creative and information exchange. Drawing upon Luke’s background as a sociologist and Anne’s training as a documentary filmmaker, the projects we create are born out of a shared curiosity for the themes of identity, history and the culture of everyday life. Responding to these themes, our projects utilise a wide range of media that includes social research, photography, digital art, textile design, video, sound design and installation.
The artists have just finished working on the second edition of the Talk To Me project, this time based at a disabled care institution in The Netherlands. In this edition of the project, the artists interview four ‘other-than-human’ entities around this location, with each conversation touching upon the context of disability care. You can find more information about this project here.
18.04. – 15.05.2021
Etgar-André-Str. 29, 04157 Leipzig
https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/bundesregierung/staatsministerin-fuer-kultur-und-medien
