Aura Satz: SPIRAL SOUND COIL

Aura Satz, Spiral Sound Coil, drawing, 2010

Locate, curated by Sarah Williams
Jerwood Space

11 August – 12 September 2010, Preview 10 August  

Mon ­ Fri 10am – 5pm, Sat & Sun 10am – 3pm 
 

Featuring  the  work  of  artists  Mel  Brimfield,  Sarah  Pickering  and  Aura  Satz,  Locate  will 
exhibit three new commissions exploring the artists’ responses to the idea of ‘site’. 
Each  of  the  artists  was  asked  to  propose  ideas  for  new  works  that  responded  to  a 
geographical  location,  institution,  collection,  a  fictional  or  conceptual  space.  They  are 
currently  undertaking  a  five  month  research  project  to  develop  their  ideas  and  the  resulting 
works  will  be  exhibited  at  Jerwood  Space  in  August. 

Part of the Jerwood Encounters series, Locate  is  the  third  in  a  series  of  experimental  exhibitions  curated  by  Sarah  Williams  and demonstrates  a  commitment  by  the  Jerwood  Charitable  Foundation  to 

supporting new experimental commissions within the Jerwood Visual Arts programme.  

The exhibition will be accompanied by a publication designed by The Partners with text by 
Cecilia Wee.

Exhibition Events 
A series of evening events at Jerwood Space will run alongside the exhibition from 6 - 8pm. 
Events are free but must be booked in advance. For further information or to book contact: 

Jerwood Space

171 Union Street, London, SE1 0LN 

Tel: 020 7654 0179 
Email: jva@jerwoodspace.co.uk 
Website: www.jerwoodvisualarts.org 

Aura Satz, Spiral Sound Coil - in the studio, 2010. Photo: Paul Winch-Furness

Continuing her work as  artist in residence  at  the  Ear  Institute,  UCL  London,  Aura   will  develop  a  new  intimate,  immersive  sound  sculpture  that  will  create  a  physical  and  psychoacoustic  sonic  experience whereby  visitors  will  be  encouraged to place their head inside the sculpture itself. Like a giant hearing trumpet or an automaton ear, the horn appears to tune into the vast library of past sounds that is the air. The multi-channel soundtrack outputs in a spiral sequence, thus echoing the rotating technology of wax cylinder sound recordings. Similarly, the narrative voicover explores the idea of memory being like a wax cylinder, a ‘mystic writing-pad’ of sorts, a blank slate onto which memories leave their trace and personal history is recorded. For the musical composition Aura has revisited and re-composed some of the original recordings made as a result of her Soundtrap III commission for Beaconsfield in Vauxhall, Glissolalia. This new composition includes excerpts of the psychoacoustic illusion of a Shepard tone, the theremin played by Lydia Kavina and voices by the barbershop quartet Hunky Dory (Jackie Driscoll, Lolly Thomas, Ceejai Seaman, and Barbara Thompson). Spiral Sound Coil explores the ever-shifting site of sound, and offers a powerfully disorienting acoustic experience.

Aura would like to thank Bradford Backus and Thorsten Marquardt at the Ear Institute; Beaconsfield Gallery and in particular David Crawforth; Lydia Kavina; Jackie Driscoll, Lolly Thomas, Ceejai Seaman, and Barbara Thompson; Dave Hunt for his sound advice; and Sarah Williams.