Ringwave 1
Situation:
The Custom House Park is located on the river Shannon. There is a path across the lawn which has a circular form in the middle of about eight meters in diameter.
I positioned 12 snare-drums on stands around that circle.
There were 24 drummers with whom I had previously done a short workshop for this piece.
While I walked around the circle, I asked everyone to drum softly when I was furthest away, louder as I came closer, and to drum loudly when I was nearest – I was carrying a light-meter and a small clock with a stopwatch.
Performance:
I began walking around the circle at noon, completing laps of 12 seconds each. Because each drummer (the 24 people alternated with each other) drummed louder the nearer I got, the peaks in volume rotated in space at exactly the speed I set.
I was constantly measuring the light. The less light there was, the slower I walked; the laps took longer, the rotating sound became slower.
At about 8pm, it was so dark that the light meter no longer registered a reading. The speed of rotation, which had by then been decreased sharply, stopped.
The rotation stopped.
Postscript:
Although in the beginnings the sound was combined, towards the end everybody had to play longer and longer solos.
year | 1986 |
date | 04.10.1986 |
location | Custom House Park Limerick Ireland |
performed by | 24 volunteer participants |
curator | Paul O'Reilly |
photography | David Lilburn |
project or event | E.V.A. Exhibition '86 |
technical | I carry a photographic light meter |