2018
Daniel Neumann and
Juan Betancurth
Disambiguations
ZONAMACO
Centro Citibanamex, Mexico City
Booth NP14
February 5 – 9, 2020
Exemplifying the gallery’s commitment to experimentation and intermedia, we will present a site-specific installation developed in Mexico City by Daniel Neumann and Juan Betancurth.
Disambiguations is a grouping of 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.
Juan Betancurth's mixed media works act as loaded metaphors, provoking the viewer's intimate desires to come to the surface as they decode the potential function imbued into each object. Different meanings are attached to each object, whether it be restriction, liberation, or symbols of power. His works are presented as meticulously detailed and often immersive installations.
Daniel Neumann’s intermedia practice is mostly focused on sound and temporal operations. He uses conceptual and often collaborative strategies to explore sound, sound material, and its modulation through space, situation, objects, and media. Pieces are developed in different formats and variations as ongoing processes. The leitmotif for these processes is the development of a poetry of the fragile, and a skepticism towards demonstrations of power. Impermanence is understood as temporal fragility.
Press
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Suspended Plate
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
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
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
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.