SOUND IS LIQUID, TIME IS PARALLEL
– by Kata Martincsák (intern at Improper Walls)
Wolfgang Tillmans, Omen, 1991, Courtesy of Galerie Buchholz, Maureen Paley, London, David Zwimer, New York
“I follow the aesthetics of mathematics. I’ve always hated mathematics, but I am interested in visibility diagrams, in the question of when something becomes visible. The planet Mercury, for instance, is only visible for a very short time – morning and evening, before sunset or after sunset. Three parameters influence visibility in the night sky: the angle the planets make with the sun, the onset of dusk or dawn, and the disappearance of the planet below the horizon. Together, these factors result in a window of visibility.”
Wolfgang Tillmans had always been interested in how to make a phenomenon longer visible. They could be astronomical, social, or political subjects, and as a photographer, he uses diverse strategies to recall them in our minds. It seems like his artistic mind is already aware of our previous experiences, and he always finds a sensitive approach to show reality to his viewers. He dedicates his work to people and bodies, to landscapes, architectures, objects, and celestial phenomena, since he has been exploring the question of visibility since the early 1990s. We can see this as a method of distribution, but he always believed that reverence for life makes us more aware. Tillmans’ restless curiosity – his look at this, now look over here attitude – can also be found at Sound is Liquid–his current show in mumok.
Sound Is Liquid, presents his work from early photographs to pictures taken shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic. Tillmans cannot think of time as a linear structure and uses the concept of parallelism also in practice, not just in theory. He does not treat his series as a unit, recreating them in a seemingly random arrangement, as if to say: just as sound, the photograph can be boundless and expandable; it can flow through the semi-periphery of his viewer's attention. He always follows the aesthetics of mathematics while not forgetting the targeted leadership of a visitor’s perception.His texts, which appear in his exhibition displays, reduce the distance of dates between our present and the past significant events. This way, he draws our attention to important social issues that belong to another generation’s era but could even be our problems, such as AIDS. If we think about it, the medium also works this way. It only exists in the present, but it can draw our attention to diverse topics, keeping the past transparent.
Wolfgang Tillmans
Mond in Erdlicht, 1980
Courtesy of Galerie Buchholz, Maureen Paley, London, David Zwirner, New York
Tillmans thinks when gradual changes are over, very soon we had forgotten about the past traumas, and the period between 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell, and 2001, was a time in which it looks like all threats had vanished. Our view of history is changing every moment, as well as our concepts of the shape of time, which are also shown in our environment. His two-channel video-installation Book of Architects (2017) explores the controversial existence of architecture and reveals the hidden political patterns of private and public places, questioning urban design worldwide.
At Sound is Liquid, another medium used differently from his previous shows is present: sound. Tillmans comes forward and emphasizes his soundworks on an equal level as his photos. He is aware of the reason why the sounds are so effective: there is no hiding place from them; wherever you go, whatever you do, the sounds are most likely to stick with you. We hear through the walls; we hear things that we cannot see. Maybe this is the phenomenon that interests the artist because it is again about how we can transfer invisibility. It is not new for him to use his own voice in his films ( such as I want to make a film ( 2018), exhibited at Trafó Gallery, Budapest last year).
We should not forget the fact that Tillmans came from a commercial background. He worked for lifestyle and local fashion magazines, but he was using them as an equally valid artistic platform. He turned to music nowadays and connected it with his photos in a multi-disciplinary artistic practice. Although he created his first musical pieces when he was a teenager, he stopped when he went to university. A couple of years ago, he started to make synth-pop and electronic music–now, his albums can be found on Youtube and Spotify.
The process of dematerialization accompanies the entire exhibition; instead of imposing boundaries or limits, Tillmans’ creative principle allows us to treat his images and music homogeneous. In his new video installation, Moon in Earthlight (2021), Tillmans uses sounds as an alternative healing method. Electronic music is used here not only as a soundtrack but as the movie’s protagonist. He makes sounds liquid, time-parallel frames invisible, and people more aware of present problems such as technological change and pandemic effects on our lives. Our perceptions are changing as we need to face social distancing and constant visuality in everyday life. Tillmans knows well that we live in interesting times and examination of forms of presentation and perception is necessary. In McLuhan's terms, Medium is the message, even if it’s liquid.
[1] Hans Ulrich Obrist interview with Wolfgang Tillmans’ studio, London, 19 January 2007, The Conversation Series, Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, Köln, 2007
[2] John Quin: Everything Under The Sun: The Passions Of Wolfgang Tillmans, The Quietus, 2021, LINK