feedback [ barry jones ]

I’ve been going over the works and artists in this year’s whitney biennial and I was pleased to discover that one of my favorite djs, DJ Olive, is included (this is his second biennial).

“Using a room sized white tent furnished with cots, DJ Olive (Gregor Asch) creates an environment of deep ambient sounds with his most recent composition from the Sleeping Pill series, Triage.  The artist encourages visitors to quietly listen to his work, providing a respite from the external chaos of the city. “(taken  from the Whitney Biennial Site)

I’m really intrigued by the importance that sound now has in contemporary art.  It would have been hard to imagine the whitney biennial including the work of a “dj” with only a minimal art background just a few years ago (DJ Olive has collaborated with sound art pioneer Christian Marclay in the past).   I own DJ Olive’s ambient cd releases, buoy and sleep, so I have a sense of what Triage might sound like.  

I can’t help but wonder about the “installation” aspect of the piece.  I have a hard time imagining the average visitor to the whitney actually laying down and enjoying the sound.  The tent and the cots become more about the idea of rest and healing than to be actually used for such.  DJ Olive’s sleeping pill events seem to more effective in achieving his goals.