Artist Tiffany Singh's piece was the more colorful Piece in the space and it was called 'Knock on the sky listen to the sound' referring to a Buddhist proverb and this interview in the magazine reveals for me, Tiffany's take on the proverb. This metaphor for her work, is the way she perceives how the sky becomes an active part of the second part of this work which will be at Cockatoo Island. The full extent of it could not be fully appreciated housed at Pier2/3's site, because I realise now that component of the art is meant to be silent, to 'instigate the sound within your own mind in a longing to hear the sound of the chimes.'
In Asian culture, the sound of windchimes is haunting because that sound in the absence of natural elements reflect the presence of spirits. This ethereal existence, one that I once believed in, was thankfully absent on the night I visited. We were encouraged by the host to interact with the art and make the chimes sing to us by moving through it. The man-made sound is not quite the same as if the wind passes through it. Certainly I now perceive Tiffany means to show you how the chimes can be the voice of the sky when you remove the warehouse and place it on the island. Well, I haven't been to Cockatoo island so that's only my interpretation of what the interaction there will be.
The chimes need to travel from the pier to the island, and my understanding is that selected humans are to adopt a chime each, personalize it and record the process of the decorating before they return the work to the Bowing Crane on Cockatoo Island. That interaction with the community, I thought I got, but now that I wonder if there is an element of Buddhism behind it, I wonder if the purpose is to also capture the living spirits of these fabulous beings and contain it somehow in one place to represent the beautiful souls that Are in existence in our world right now. Again, my interpretation of the piece.
The article doesn't mention the other piece being housed at the Pier, and it is this one,
I was delighted at first to see the bottles of wine and bowls of real nuts and the thrill of free refreshments piqued my engagement levels. Very quickly though I was told that whilst that was the original intention of the artist, to get people to interact and feedback on the paper looms he had created, the sponsors have locked the very interactive bits with cable tie in order to preserve the art and that the public was encouraged to write on the pads on the clipboards instead. Bah Humbug. There was also rather strict traffic control that night to see the art, and I really wondered, something with such great potential and such noble intentions, was it really an oversight of the artist that his works might be so broken from the use he intended for it? I even got to thinking if the work was a woman, built to serve a purpose but then, sheltered so quickly. Did she even ask to be protected? Possibly not.
Anyhow, the exhibition lasts until the 16th of September so make your way around Sydney to observe the various pieces and engage with the ones the artists intended you to, for what is art if it doesn't speak to you?
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