2012

2012 (2012)
field recordings, cassette tapes

Fragments of my sound diaries from 2012 make up the project titled with the same name. In that year, I recorded one cassette per day, one side running at least 15 minutes long. Sometimes they would go longer, up to 30 minutes for both sides.

Before the New Year, I purchased one whole year’s worth of 365 cassette tapes as it was a leap year, and color-coordinated the tapes — one color every two months, starting from light green, then wisteria violet, deep red, pure white, and finally bright yellow. I thought of On Kawara’s Date Paintings Today (1966–2013) as I dated each tape with a stamped sticker.

During this project, I maintained a conventional notion of a diary — I would catch any sounds around me. At times, I would ask people around me what had happened on a certain day and try to depict the events as they had occurred. After devoting myself for an entire year, to making an audio version of this work, I played back more than one hundred hours ’ worth of the recording from the beginning to end, then randomly selected several dozens of my favorite segments and sequenced them chronologically. The result had more of a documentary feel and a cinematic quality that allowed the listener to easily relate each sound to a visual scene.

I would also consider this project as an unorthodox, durational performance—a non-stop year of seamless actions. There were many moments that I needed to wait until something happened, or nothing happened. I also often felt excited over anticipating what I would hear next. This world is full of noises and there is seldom silence. It is thrilling to go on an endless adventure with the ears.

AO

Group Exhibitions

2024 Course at The Living Art Museum (curated by Þorsteinn Eyfjörð & Sunna Ástþórsdóttir), Reykjavík, Iceland
2013 Sonósferas at Fundación Teatro Odeón, Bogota, Columbia

The Living Art Museum, Reykjavík, Iceland, 2024