Programme
Bit Symphony
Bit Symphony is an audio-visual installation consisting of an assemblage of turntables, amplifiers and speakers, reconfigured and manipulated so as to autonomously perform a complex musical composition of looping records. Liam O’Callaghan creates the sound by forcing loops, changing speeds, warping and physically scratching records, fading volume in and out and altering tones. Through these simple techniques the original sound is altered to be unrecognisable from its source and transformed into something new entirely: a series of unique sonic/music compositions.
As is the case with most of O’Callaghan’s work, the aesthetic of Bit Symphony is led by necessity. The function of each component of the installation is clear, and no attempt has been made to hide the basic methods and materials used to make the work operate the way O’Callaghan wants it to. With no auto-tuner or auto-timer in sight, the music cracks, clicks and creeks its way along with its own interior sense of purpose, in and out of time, through noise, sound and music and those moments in-between, wherever they may lie. All the work’s blemishes are there to be heard and deployed as the players, independent of a performer, spin into action and work to find and maintain their own harmony.
O’Callaghan’s starting point was the desire to make music, and how, as an object-making artist and as a non-musician, to achieve this aim. The resulting work borrows some of the musical vocabulary of early tape loops techniques from the mid 60s and sampling techniques of the 70s onwards. While it is difficult to classify the compositions into any one type or genre of music, it is clear that O’Callaghan has achieved his aim of making music while also creating a hypnotic and engaging artwork.
Admission is free and all are welcome.
About the artist:
Liam O’Callaghan’s work uses found, used and discarded objects to create sculptures that expose the methods or mechanics in their construction, challenging the viewer to construct meanings beyond their constituent parts. O’Callaghan’s sculptures and photographs delight the viewer with irreverence and humour, while also inducing meditations on the fragility and transience of life and the roll of improvisation in human endeavours. O’Callaghan has exhibited at, among other venues, The Irish Museum of Modern Art 2011; Dublin Contemporary 2011, the Douglas Hyde Gallery 2010; Rasche Ripken, Berlin 2009; Rubicon Gallery, Dublin 2008; the Royal Hibernian Academy, 2006.
Ormston House would like to thank Temple Bar Gallery + Studios in Dublin for their support in travelling the exhibition to Limerick.