The last two months I’ve been busy with a project that I’m very excited about. As an artist focused on sound, I have always hoped that someone would start a simple sound/listening gallery in Helsinki. In March 2014 I will open Vuorikaiku in Arabianranta.
Some contemporary art galleries here do exhibit sound works every now and then. Couple of years ago Petri Kuljuntausta opened his Akusmata in Töölö and Muu Gallery even runs a series of sound art compilation CDs, but I think there is still space for a more listening oriented galleries in Helsinki.
What I wanted to do differently, is to create a sound gallery where focus will be only on sound — not on the context, artistic background or technical aspects. Just a plain room with four speakers and somewhere to sit down. In fact, it isn’t even as much about sound art than it is about listening.
Of course, the exhibited works have their own artistic content, but in Vuorikaiku the audience doesn’t need any prerequisite information about sound art. In fact, works with complicated conceptual layers won’t be exhibited unless their actual sonic qualities are interesting enough. The gallery aims to open the ears and silence the conceptual mind.
I will be sharing more information about the gallery and the exhibitions at Vuorikaiku blog. You may also like Vuorikaiku at Facebook.
More to come soon! Keep your eyes — and more importantly, EARS — open!