glen stoker remembers -
Intercom - Johanna Hällsten, October/November, 2008
My overriding memory of Intercom is that the gallery was rendered largely and conventionally empty. Johanna's sound installations effectively filled the space, but in terms of physical objects and artefacts, there were only 6 bruised and battered but still beautiful speakers, sourced from Weatherby's factory, positioned high up on the walls. It was really interesting to see how gallery visitors experienced a blank white cube space. It was initially a disorientating experience. With no visual objects to divert your attention, for a moment, you didn't know where to put yourself. Slowly though, and given a bit of time, your imagination, combined with the PA announcements broadcast through the speakers, allowed you to imagine the setting, without the formal and language codes imposed by visual media.
This show also provided a unique treatment of the window space, as internal speakers attached to the glass panes turned the window into a giant speaker, transmitting the sounds of a conversation between a bird,a badger and a woman. This could be heard, subtly, as you approached the window space, where you would discover the beautiful rural but slightly unearthly diorama.
A great solo show, and a really brave approach from the gallery to commit to allowing sound to replace image.
click here for a slideshow of Intercom
The link between the two spaces by the use of the speakers was a great idea. And I agree it was interesting and fun to see people faces when confronted with a blank space. Also having the women who had worked in a potteries factory giving out instructions to the visitors added that extra magic and link.
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