Inis Oirr panorama
During my three months' residency on the smallest of the Aran Islands on the west coast of Ireland, I mainly produced numerous descriptions of the surroundings, both in drawings and in verbal form. Inis Oírr Panorama is a 25-minute description of the landscape, concentrating mainly on the horizon.
Observation and notation
I stand at one spot on the southern edge of the island on the Atlantic Ocean. Looking to the north of the island I see a bare plateau of rock with nothing but stone walls, to the east is a view of the mainland, and to the south and west is the ocean. Using my compass, I have marked the four wind directions on the flagstone beneath me. I stand with my face to the north and give as close a description as possible of what I see, speaking into a recorder. I concentrate as much as possible on the horizon. Also described are the light changes that occur during the observation. During this process of describing the view, I turn slowly in the same spot to my right until I am back at the starting point.
At a later stage, I transcribed the voice recording and memorised the text.
Performance
In an interior or exterior space, I select a fixed point. With my compass, I mark out the four wind directions on the ground, and invite the public to stand around me. I stand with my face to the north and begin to describe the landscape of the island, turning in the same spot to my right until I am back to the starting point. While I narrate, my glance passes over all the viewers.
year | 2004 |
location | various |
performed by | Toine Horvers |
photography | various |
further information | Inis Oírr panorama can be performed in any space |
In \'Tell me a story\' Amsterdam 2007