Stringing the Matrix is a sound-based performance and sculpture commissioned by Tate St Ives in response to the architectural vision of constructivist Naum Gabo. The sculpture was exhibited at Tate St Ives with my 2019 film Coil of Days, from 3rd February to May 2nd 2022. Stringing the Matrix was performed at Tate St Ives, on 30th April 2022. (Tate St Ives Commission: Performance.)
In the performance of this piece, performers and the audience wear wireless headphones to hear the 40-minute piece being constructed.The sounds of the space, audience and other visitors are channelled through the object along with the intimate sounds of handling the materials and the subtle gestures produced in the collective task of creating the structure. The object contains many different potential outcomes, and is amplified in a way that creates a complex delicate soundscape. Some of the sounds are uncomfortable and sharp, metallic needles threading with intention, and other sounds are mellow fibres passing through, the knots causing ringing that we identified as a cue to change in section of the performance. These wide ranging subtle sounds are blended to create a soundscape that brings together the whole space and the touch of the materials with the ebb and flow of the audience.
