DISAMBIGUATIONS
FEB
2020
Zona Maco, Centro Citibanamex
Mexico City
Daniel Neumann and Juan Betancurth
DISAMBIGUATIONS
An installation for Zona Maco Art Fair in Mexico City
Presented by Fridman Gallery, Booth NP14
February 5 – 9, 2020
Exemplifying a commitment to experimentation and intermedia, Fridman Gallery was presenting a site-specific installation developed in Mexico City by Daniel Neumann and Juan Betancurth. DISAMBIGUATIONS is a grouping of the following interrelated sounding sculptures jointly developed by the artists: SUSPENDED PLATE, CABINET, HOOK #4, and DOUBLE PHASE. Each work produces different manifestations of sound and object in relation to each other and to the viewer’s body.
SUSPENDED PLATE is a large wooden monolith, which acts as the tectonic source of vibrations affecting the objects inside CABINET. An infra-subwoofer hidden inside the suspended monolith emits low, tactile frequencies. CABINET, a take on the 19th century cabinet of curiosities, is filled with found objects collected by the artists. Two transducers on top of the cabinet emanate sine waves in harmonic relationship with SUSPENDED PLATE, causing the objects on the shelves to rattle, move around, and potentially fall. HOOK #4 is comprised of four sharp hooks hung from the ceiling, carrying exposed speaker drivers. These speakers transmit the live sound within CABINET omnidirectionally into the wider field of the installation. Finally, DOUBLE PHASE is a pair of speaker drivers mounted face-to-face and electronically out-of-phase with each other, creating an unusual sound field, especially when the viewer is in close proximity to the object. The sound emission is made visible by the trembling movement of the exposed cones.
Taken together, the installation of the four interconnected sculptures mirrors the process or iteration and accumulation characteristic of the artists’ symbiotic practices. Neumann’s commitment to spatial sound as a tactile medium complements Betancurth’s sensibilities as a maker of assemblages of found objects and textures.
SUSPENDED PLATE is a large wooden polyhedron, which acts as the tectonic source of vibrations that affect each object inside the CABINET. An infra-subwoofer hidden inside the box emanates frequencies that cause the sound to become tactile.
CABINET, a take on the 19th century cabinet of curiosities, is filled with found objects collected by the artists in and around Mexico City. On top, two transducers, pulling from the vibrations emanating from SUSPENDED PLATE, cause the objects on the shelves to rattle, move around, and potentially fall.
HOOK #4 is comprised of four sharp hooks suspended from the ceiling, carrying exposed speaker drivers. These speakers transmit the live sound within the CABINET omnidirectionally into the wider field of the installation.
DOUBLE PHASE is a pair of speaker drivers mounted face-to-face and electronically out-of-phase with each other, creating an unusual sound field, especially when the viewer is in close proximity to the object. The sound emission is visible through the movement of the exposed cone.
Betancurth's recurring rearrangement performance
DISAMBIGUATIONS
An installation for Zona Maco Art Fair in Mexico City
Presented by Fridman Gallery, Booth NP14
February 5 – 9, 2020
Exemplifying a commitment to experimentation and intermedia, Fridman Gallery was presenting a site-specific installation developed in Mexico City by Daniel Neumann and Juan Betancurth. DISAMBIGUATIONS is a grouping of the following interrelated sounding sculptures jointly developed by the artists: SUSPENDED PLATE, CABINET, HOOK #4, and DOUBLE PHASE. Each work produces different manifestations of sound and object in relation to each other and to the viewer’s body.
SUSPENDED PLATE is a large wooden monolith, which acts as the tectonic source of vibrations affecting the objects inside CABINET. An infra-subwoofer hidden inside the suspended monolith emits low, tactile frequencies. CABINET, a take on the 19th century cabinet of curiosities, is filled with found objects collected by the artists. Two transducers on top of the cabinet emanate sine waves in harmonic relationship with SUSPENDED PLATE, causing the objects on the shelves to rattle, move around, and potentially fall. HOOK #4 is comprised of four sharp hooks hung from the ceiling, carrying exposed speaker drivers. These speakers transmit the live sound within CABINET omnidirectionally into the wider field of the installation. Finally, DOUBLE PHASE is a pair of speaker drivers mounted face-to-face and electronically out-of-phase with each other, creating an unusual sound field, especially when the viewer is in close proximity to the object. The sound emission is made visible by the trembling movement of the exposed cones.
Taken together, the installation of the four interconnected sculptures mirrors the process or iteration and accumulation characteristic of the artists’ symbiotic practices. Neumann’s commitment to spatial sound as a tactile medium complements Betancurth’s sensibilities as a maker of assemblages of found objects and textures.
SUSPENDED PLATE is a large wooden polyhedron, which acts as the tectonic source of vibrations that affect each object inside the CABINET. An infra-subwoofer hidden inside the box emanates frequencies that cause the sound to become tactile.
CABINET, a take on the 19th century cabinet of curiosities, is filled with found objects collected by the artists in and around Mexico City. On top, two transducers, pulling from the vibrations emanating from SUSPENDED PLATE, cause the objects on the shelves to rattle, move around, and potentially fall.
HOOK #4 is comprised of four sharp hooks suspended from the ceiling, carrying exposed speaker drivers. These speakers transmit the live sound within the CABINET omnidirectionally into the wider field of the installation.
DOUBLE PHASE is a pair of speaker drivers mounted face-to-face and electronically out-of-phase with each other, creating an unusual sound field, especially when the viewer is in close proximity to the object. The sound emission is visible through the movement of the exposed cone.
Betancurth's recurring rearrangement performance