Bruce Nauman’s
Days and SOUNDWORKS
19 June–16 September 2012
Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)
The Mall, London, SW1Y 5AH
Free
Book online: www.ica.org.uk
Box office +44 20 7930 3647
Textphone +44 20 7839 0737
www.ica.org.uk
www.ica.org.uk/days
www.ica.org.uk/soundworks
www.ica.org.uk/piotrjanas
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Bruce Nauman Days
The ICA is proud to present the UK premiere of Bruce Nauman’s Days—a sound installation consisting of a continuous stream of seven voices reciting the days of the week in random order. Days invokes both the banality and the profundity of the passing of each day and invites reflection on how we measure, differentiate, and commemorate time.
Bruce Nauman’s work continues to test rational systems of language, spatial and bodily encounters, duration, and psychology through constructed environments. His pioneering work spans over five decades and encompasses a wide spectrum of media.
SOUNDWORKS
In conjunction with Bruce Nauman’s Days the ICA has invited over one hundred international artists, selected by the ICA and art institutions worldwide, to submit sound files taking their stimulus from the themes evoked in Days. The project, entitled SOUNDWORKS, aims to take a broader look at the range of work being produced in audio arts today and embraces the ephemeral and peripatetic nature of sound through the creation of an online platform that doubles as a virtual exhibition space. The project includes a wide range of audible approaches by artists who have been working with the medium for many years, as well as artists taking their first venture into sonic art.
The submitted audio works will be accessible on the dedicated SOUNDWORKS microsite at www.ica.org.uk/soundworks as well as in the ICA galleries.
Bruce Nauman’s Days and SOUNDWORKS will be accompanied by an events programme comprised of talks, screenings, and performances.
4 July: The Trouble with Sound Art
A panel discussion on the labelling of ‘Sound Art’ with Steven Claydon, Ruth Ewan, David Toop, and Haroon Mirza.
14 July: Performance by Noise=Noise
A late night performance by Noise=Noise.
30–31 August: Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Andy Holden and David Raymond Conroy present Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace.
5 September: I am here with…Audio Arts
Audio Arts founder William Furlong will talk about the audio cassette-magazine Audio Arts.
11 September: Gavin Bryars in Conversation
Gavin Bryars will discuss his work in relation to the development of sound arts.
14–15 September: BRRRRR BRRR BRRRR and MMMMMMMMMMMM
The sound season will culminate in a weekend exploring the sound contributions that were produced as part of SOUNDWORKS, including presentations by ICA Artist in Residence and Turner Prize nominee Luke Fowler, who will be producing a piece in response to the ICA Archive, and Factory Floor with Peter Gordon.
Artists’ Film Club
The forthcoming editions of the Artists Film Club will focus on sound-related works during this period, and include screenings by Moyra Davey, William E. Jones, Owen Land, and more.
The ICA wishes to thank partners BMW, Sedition, and Wallpaper as well as the support of PRS for Music Foundation, Jawbone, and the Arts Council England.
Bruce Nauman’s Days is presented at the ICA on loan from Emanuel Hoffmann Foundation, gift of the President, on permanent loan to Öffentliche Kunstsammlung Basel, and The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Committee on Painting and Sculpture Funds, gift of The Mimi and Peter Haas Fund, Agnes Gund, The Hess Foundation, Michael Ovitz, Jerry I. Speyer, Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Foundation, Donald B. Marron, and The Jill and Peter Kraus Contemporary Acquisition Fund.
For a complete list of artists and partnering institutions please visit the SOUNDWORKS website: www.ica.org.uk/soundworks.
Piotr Janas
3 July–9 September
In addition to these projects, the ICA presents the first London solo exhibition by Warsaw-based artist Piotr Janas in the Upper Galleries. Janas offers amoebic forms recalling organs, bodily fluids, and various body parts that contrast with hard-edged machine-like mechanisms. Mixing the imagery of Constructivism, Francis Bacon, and Paul Thek, these dark invocations are ultimately indebted to the language of surrealism.
With thanks to the Polish Cultural Institute and Foksal Gallery Foundation.
Image above: Sarah Boris.
