warm/cold is an installation which consists of several elements, all of which are contained within a small hut. The hut is approximately 185cm x 185cm, the outside covered with hessian and the inside lined with fur. Concealed within the walls of the hut are speakers which play sounds at a low volume, interspersed with stretches of silence. The sounds are kept at a low volume so they can be heard as part of the sonic environment of the space; at times the listener may find it difficult to distinguish between the recorded sounds and sounds occurring within the space of the exhibition, whether inside the hut or without.
Inside the hut is a small table, which holds a box of cards and an orange toy telephone. The cards describe a situation and a sound associated with it; the listener is encouraged to meditate on this situation, and vocalise sound into the telephone if they wish to do so. Their vocalisation is played back at a low volume through speakers on the outer surface of the hut.
In warm/cold, the goal is to create a meditative space in which the participant becomes the performer of their own version of the piece. When the participant enters the hut, they are confronted with a space which has its own boundaries and acoustic properties. They can hear and sense what is happening outside the hut, and at the same time listen to how sounds (including their voice) and their sense of space changes inside. The hut acts as a membrane rather than as a barrier, sectioning off space in visual and acoustic terms so that the participant can focus and reflect on what they wish, the cards providing a stimulus, should they want it.
warm/cold was developed as part of the Soundshapes project curated by Seán McCrum and Hilary Morley. It was exhibited in the Galway Arts Festival, July 2002; Draíocht Arts Centre, Dublin, August 2002; Limerick City Art Gallery, September-October 2002; Nyland and Model Arts Centre, Sligo, October-November 2002; National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, December 2002-January 2003; The Factory, Belfast, February-March 2003, and Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart, April 2003.
