These works were exhibited in Sound Mirror, a solo exhibition by Audra Wolowiec at Visitor Center (Oct 9 - Nov 26, 2021), that explores the visual and material qualities of sound through handmade paper, cast concrete and ceramic. The title is in reference to Sound or Acoustic Mirrors, cement structures built along the coasts of England and France in the early 1900’s as listening devices.
waveforms are handmade paper works created during a Workspace Residency at Dieu Donné (Brooklyn, NY). The images are based on wave interference patterns, most famously captured by Berenice Abbott (Interference of Waves, 1958-1961) using a method she created at MIT for illustrating techniques in physics by exposing projections of oscillating waves onto photographic paper. The atmospheric qualities of sound waves became parallels to the movement of water held in the paper vats and screens during the paper making process.
Exhibition catalogue includes poems by Christine Shan Shan Hou and Emmalea Russo, with screen print insert.
The act of hearing itself is subtle
And shimmery
—Christine Shan Shan Hou
Earliest mirror: water. Listening devices:
large, covert, coastal.
—Emmalea Russo
WORKS ON VIEW
waveforms, 2017-2018
handmade paper: cotton, linen, and abaca with pigment
dimensions range from 9x7 inches to 40x30 inches each
sound mirror, 2021
cast ceramic with metallic glaze
7 x 6 x 2.5 inches
concrete sound, 2020
cast concrete with pigment
18 x 18 x 6.5 inches
sound mirror and concrete sound are works based on acoustic paneling used in sound recording studios and anechoic chambers.
Video documentation and editing by Dan Wolfe.