Sound—or the lack of it—was integral to the philosophy behind the concept for the prison, which had its roots in the Quaker belief that people are inherently good. The hope was that if prisoners were left in solitary confinement and silence, uncorrupted by each other and outside influences, their innate Godly nature would be reawakened. In the beginning, guards even wore socks over their shoes so that the sound of their footsteps wouldn't conceal any possible whisperings between cells. The artists installed bangers such as drumsticks and mallets, attaching them to unobtrusive, externally controlled mechanical devices, one to a cell, so that they produce a plink, tap, knock, bang, or thump when struck against one of the metal, stone, ceramic or wood objects left abandoned there. These movements are externally controlled by a hidden computer programmed by the artists into a 15-minute composition that runs on continuous loop. As a result, bedsprings, toilets, wooden cabinets, water pipes and barrels become percussive sources played by unseen hands, culminating in an orchestrated mélange of acoustic noise that emanates from all parts of the corridor. No matter now many times you hear it, the experience-as long as you keep moving-is always different, as it depends primarily on where in the corridor you happen to be at any given time and what may be occurring in the cell next to you or down the block. In the beginning, there's a sound like water dripping and the hesitant-back-and-forth of Morse code-like tapping. Seemingly random noises give way to fits of rhythmic, almost musical sequences that resemble African percussion and climax in total cacophony—pandemonium—a prison riot. The sense that these are instruments wielded by ghosts is overwhelming, and the piece is a palpable evocation of the boredom, frustration and irresistible need to communicate that were no doubt felt by the unlucky participants in this idealistic penal experiment. [Pandemonium opened May 12, 2005, and will continue to operate at the site for two years.] -Carol Diehl |
Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller at Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia
Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller at Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia
Art in America
January, 2006
pp. 125-126