general view, harmony
At the nearby Musée de Beaux Arts de Tournai – one of my favorites – a wonderful exhibition is (still) taking place in which the quiet and understated prevails… something we are in dire need of it seems to me… A refreshing oasis of calm and consideration, of slight reverberations we hardly ever pay attention to, including the one emanating form our own body, corpus reverberatus, responding to the wavelengths of our surroundings.
Baudouin Oosterlynck has achieved a wondrous balance within the sumptuous architectural creation by Horta and one’s own personal sonic and visual space – the exhibition “entre l’oeil et l’oreille” is a combination of installation, laboratory, cartographic and historical voyage into the absence/of sound – in the middle he placed his “A Pro-Peau Nr. 2” – a cone shape partially enclosed with paper membrane, a body of an instrument in which to linger – and depending on the actions of oneself or others outside, listen to… the space, not only one’s own but that of all present and the halls themselves, all being directly connected… it is the first time that I actually listened to this museum.
instruments, landscapes of silence
At various intervals on tables and plints, some of his ‘Instruments d’écoute‘ often glass receptacles in which one can not see the sound one creates – underlining the magic of this wonderous nothingness while demonstrating empirically it’s function… for careful and considered participation by the public… To one side the geographic tables of places the artist has visited in his quest for silence, surrounded by paintings from the collection in which artists too, have been inspired and attracted to far-flung wilderness scenes, places of solitude an solace, alone with one’s creative talent in the world at large – In another room instruments, historical rarities and unique pieces surrounded by images of musicians or creators in their surroundings – the potentiality of a not-yet commenced work aptly illustrated by Fantin-Latour’s “Portrait of Miss Budgett” and the empty Harp-case (Arp-case) which has obviously traveled the world and which you can listen to via stethoscope… or make music with itself, as with the see-through piano lid, pane of glass responding to the touch with vibration…
The (H)arp sounds nothing yet…
Sonorous vessel in space
On the other side the artist’s wide and varied collection of glasses (prothèses pour l’oeil) from all continents and all ages, aptly framed by works found in the collection dealing with the issue of correcting sight – with the “Racommodeur de Souflets” from the XVI century as case in point – further through to the space dominated by humongous allegories a collection of acoustic prosthesis ‘pour l’oreille‘ in which the visual aspect is the most striking, being made of shiny brass and worn in different ways… one has to be disciplined enough to not touch these works – being so very attractive… But there are periodic demonstrations and concerts by the artist along with the percussion department of the conservatory just down the road…
visual aides, bifocal and more
sound reflection/refraction
Having visited a number of exhibitions by Oosterlynck, including one here in Péruwelz not so long ago, I sort of knew what to expect, but was still amazed at the intricate and sympathetic way he combined his work with the museum itself (the work of a fellow artist as it were) and the collection and the physical proportions… quite an achievement and a wonderful surprise – well worth going back to more than once … for those that couldn’t be there; a complete and voluminous catalogue is well worth acquiring and re-experiencing at home…
depinterdep 