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| Sounds beautiful |
As the sun set on a balmy evening I listened carefully to the cacophony around me, trying to make the conceptual leap: it seemed like meaningless noise to me, but to Swiss artist Sandra Kuntz, these everyday noises are beautiful.
The Chinese European Art Center at Xiamen University's newest exhibition opened on Friday featuring Kuntz’s latest project. Visitors to the exhibit were able to walk into her “sound box,” and read various phrases in Chinese and English, such as, “Chop, chop, chop,” “A factory humming” and “A woman screaming.”
From there one proceeded into another room where there were thirty small fans all in motion on the floor, amidst a few televisions displaying a kaleidoscope of everyday objects: such as a plastic bag or clothes hanging out to dry. All the while visitors to Kuntz’s exhibit were surrounded by the actual sounds of life she had recorded.
While initially I remained confused as to what Kuntz was trying to capture, her response offered an intriguing explanation. One evening while sitting in her apartment, alone on the tenth floor, she realized just how beautiful the sounds engulfing her were. Kuntz, who has lived in Xiamen for the last six months, noticed that life in Xiamen is constantly in motion. Whether she could hear her neighbor chopping up food for dinner, or the rhythm of the woman sweeping down the hall, life was always moving. Kuntz attempted to re-create the sights and sounds of motion, which she found beautiful and very unlike her homeland of Switzerland.
Refreshments were served, conversation was pleasant, and visitors were able to enjoy Sandra Kuntz’s unique interpretation of life, as she sees it, in Xiamen. |
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