- Grace Harmer
Opening Reception, Saturday, April 4, 1pm - 4pm
Limited free seating is available on a roundtrip chartered bus from New York City for the April 4th opening. Reservations are required and can be made on this by calling +1 845-758-7598 or emailing Mary Rozell at mrozell@bard.edu.
Artists: Erik DeLuca, Robbie Wing
Useful Contaminants brings together artists Robbie Wing (Cherokee Nation) born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and currently living in Catskill, New York, and Erik DeLuca, based in Providence, Rhode Island, and currently working in Boston, Massachusetts, whose works amplify that which remains unseen or unheard, foregrounding the politics of attention through practices of critical listening.
Affixed to the gallery’s windows is Dirt Speaker Box, a newly commissioned installation by Wing. Organic materials from the Mahicannituck River Valley are encased in an unsealed, transparent container with geophones—devices used to convert vibrations into electrical signals—buried beneath its surface. These devices generate a self-sustained system of feedback through the faint, imperceptible vibrations within the organic material. Emitting a subtle, continuous frequency, the site-specific work amplifies the otherwise inaudible sounds within the dirt. The steady hum is fragile, as it responds to the proximity and touch of visitors and is endlessly affected by its environmental conditions.
Throughout the exhibition, the installation’s composition will change due to shifting acoustic and material conditions. In response to Wing’s work, DeLuca has composed a score for listening. The score evolves alongside Wing’s shifting sonic environment—guiding the audience’s engagement with the sounds emanating from the installation. Through acts of reinterpretation, DeLuca’s score proposes a bodily engagement with the exhibition space, one that continually recalibrates perception and agency in relation to the visitors’ surroundings.
Useful Contaminants unfolds as an iterative and participatory process, positioning the audience not as passive observers but as catalysts within their environment. The installation and accompanying score ask listeners to attune to the subtle frequencies that go unseen. Useful Contaminants is a living system in which the listener—the one who occupies space—holds agency through the choice of attention, whether consciously or not.
Support for artist travel is generously provided by Francesca Sonara (CCS Bard ’10).
