WHITE CYCLAMEN. MUTE PERDITION
The project evolved from considerations on authorship, creativity, performance, site-specific art, and personal experiences.The audio and light installation is based on a poem Septyneilis apie Nebyliaja Prapulti (A Septet about Mute Perdition), which was written by lithuanian poet Sigitas Geda in 1977, and is narrated by me in the original language. Due to a modern form, poem does not have a clear narrative and has no punctuation; however sets of words in each of the four strophes imply connotations on themes of eternity, love, death, nature and void.
The narration for the sound piece was accomplished during a performative action, during which I would repeat the strophes non-stop for seven minutes. Shortbreathing, caused by lack of air during the rapid constant repetition of similar words reflects destruction and despair that are prominent throughout the content of the text.
Extreme brightness and heat caused by the illumination makes light no longer attractive; whisper that became a scream comes no longer intimate or seductive. Though invited by the sound and light visitor willingly enters the space, he withdraws in awkward confusion caused by visual void, uncomforting light and sound, and non-decipherable content of the voiceover. Having this ‘absence’ of knowledge or muteness of meaning, viewer is left to experience the piece trusting his senses. Word white in Baltic culture is related not only to kindness, joy and piece, but connotes sadness; cyclamen is known to be a flower connoting goodbye and resignation; muteness, expressed through the opposing yelling whisper is at the very peak of its sonorous silence and restrain at a moment of realization of forthcoming perdition. I.e. it is a statement of a sad, but peaceful resignation at the moment of clarity of perishableness.
