In my April 2 Ouvir Imagens column, I spoke about my visit to Esculturas para Ouvir at MuBE, the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture. Curated by Cauê Alves, the exhibition brings together works by artists of different generations who combine sound with other forms of expression. It includes works by Leon Ferrari, Amelia Toledo, Paulo Bruscky, Cinthia Marcelle, Paulo Nenflídio, Vivian Caccuri, the duo Leandro Lima and Gisela Motta, and collectives such as O Grivo and Chelpa Ferro.
All the works stand on the boundary between musical instruments and visual art, challenging visitors to use several senses. Not all are interactive or “playable.” Some operate autonomously, as in the installations by Vivian Caccuri and by Leandro Lima and Gisela Motta.
Caccuri presents one of her Automotivos, a work made up of a pair of subwoofers of the kind usually used in car trunks and a set of dice and cowrie shells (featured on this page). As the music plays, the speakers vibrate and the lots are cast. The playlist is programmed to play four tracks an hour, exclusively cumbia, Rio funk, tecnobrega, and other genres associated with these sound systems. Watch the video here.
The artist is also presenting a new performance this weekend, April 7, at the Mercosur Biennial in Porto Alegre: Impróprio, which she describes as a “sacrificial ritual for abandoned sound systems.” In opposition to the destruction of this equipment by several municipal governments, she proposes a creative act: a large sculpture of fragments made from the remains of the equipment, accompanied by sound-system cars.
Leandro and Gisela, meanwhile, participate with a large installation: Órgão. This piece is very interesting not only for its technological and aesthetic rigor, already a hallmark of the two artists, but for its topical relevance. Conceived for the Mostra 3M de Arte and made from thirty-five exhaust pipes, it expresses a desire and proposes a future for cities: a city without cars. The work occupies MuBE’s outdoor area.
Leandro Lima e Gisela Motta, Órgão (2017).Another highlight is the work of Paulo Nenflídio, a key figure in contemporary art’s exploration of visual art at its intersections with sound and three-dimensionality. His instruments combine technologies of various kinds with everyday elements in a very distinctive way.
In Decabráquido Radiofônico, for example, he offers us an intriguing object with ten arms fitted with speakers and a ten-key keyboard. When played, the keys activate the sound of ten independent radios. The result is a polyphony produced by local radio stations, a work that revisits principles of the brilliant John Cage in an instrument controlled by the public.
Paulo Nenflídio, Decabráquido Radiofônico (2006)Read the curator’s text and discover the participating artists: brochure | Esculturas para Ouvir
The exhibition is on view at the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture until April 15.
Rua Alemanha, 221 – Jardim Europa, São Paulo – SP. Opening hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Links:
Leandro Lima e Gisela Motta – Órgão
Paulo Nenflídio – Decabráquido Radiofônico
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