In her 2012 work, ‘Study for Strings’, Philipsz marries a deeply moving historical research project with haunting spatial sound diffusion, exploring the life and death of Pavel Haas. Haas was a Jewish Czech composer killed in Auschwitz in 1944, who composed ‘Study for String Orchestra’ by force for a Nazi propaganda film morbidly proclaiming the peaceful relaxation of the Thereisenstadt Ghetto; what was effectively both a transit facility for Jews being sent to death camps and a pestilent, disease-ridden prison.
Originally, as part of the dOCUMENTA (13) exhibition, Philipsz deconstructed ‘Study for String Orchestra’ and diffused it around the area of Kassel Hauptbahnhof. Yet in 2023’s ‘Study for Strings Sokol Terezín’ Philipsz brought the isolated cello and viola sections to Thereisenstadt, where Haas’ original work was performed before his murder. She films the diffused installation as her rearrangement of Haas’ music eerily resonates throughout the building.
It goes without saying that my piece I have developed does not comment on awful events like the Holocaust, but Philipsz’s usage of site-specific sound diffusion is inspirational. It casts long shadows throughout history, rendering an elegant commentary through sound. It’s bridging the gap between the gallery space and the space crucial to the context of the work, is also a quality I would wish to explore in the future, it could greatly inform my approach to installation practices.
I find the genius in this work, and an emotive use of spatial sound, in Philipsz bringing the music back to the site of its origin, haunting it. It’s not quite historically redemptive, more an act of mourning. Spatial sound works can often be solipsistically, technologically driven, but ‘Study for Strings Sokol Terezín’ is a remarkable application of selfless diffusion work, drawing out a reflective, reclaiming of dark history.
References:
Rhodes, D. (2023) Susan Philipsz: Separated Strings. Available at: https://brooklynrail.org/2023/02/artseen/Susan-Philipsz-Separated-Strings/ (Accessed: 20 November 2024)
Gural, N. (2023) Artist Susan Philipsz Commands Our Attention With ‘Separated Strings’, Conveying Truth Of The Holocaust. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/natashagural/2023/01/31/artist-susan-philipsz-commands-our-attention-with-separated-strings-conveying-truth-of-the-holocaust/ (Accessed: 20 November 2024)
Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York (2023) Susan Philipsz: Separated Strings. Available at: https://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/exhibitions/694-susan-philipsz-separated-strings-tanya-bonakdar-gallery-new-york/ (Accessed: 20 November 2024)
The Museum of Modern Art (2013) Susan Philipsz. Available at: https://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2013/soundings/artists/11/works/ (Accessed: 20 November 2024)