Christopher Dahm: ECHOS (2020)
Karmeliterkirche Mainz
14. - 16. February 2020
Sound installation: mirrors, metal stands, transducers, audio player, amplifier
In Greek mythology, Narcissus despairs of love for his own mirror image after he abruptly rejected the wooing of nymph Echo. According to the story, an echo, a reverberation, has nothing individual to offer, it only reflects what has been. Like a mirror reflection, the energy of an echo steadily decreases over time and space - until it completely disappears from perception. In ECHOS the dimension of space becomes an instrument. Reflecting mirrors determine the composition and sound rhythm. Auditory and visual lines of reflection correspond, create patterns. In ECHOS an impulse sound gets played out through a loudspeaker, facing a mirror. Through ongoing mirror reflections, the room itself determines the composition and sound rhythm. Auditory and visual lines of reflections correspond, create patterns. All impulse sounds got recorded with a contact microphone inside the church. This installation is adaptable for any room size with different amount of mirrors.