liminal/subLiminal
a solo exhibition featuring two installations by Lyn Goeringer, using sodium halide lamps, video, and sound.
liminal/subliminal from Lyn Goeringer on Vimeo.
liminal/subLiminal explores the relationship ofthe streetlight in the everyday experience of space and place. Presented in two adjacent spaces, liminal/subLiminal features multiple-screen video and sound in one room with a separate light + sound installation in a neighboring room.
An ideal object for the exploration of concepts around public space, streetlights often demarcate their boundaries, and have a long standing history of social control and power. During the seventeenth and eighteenth century, the streetlight (at that time they were oil lanterns), became integral to the rebellion against the ruling class in Paris. Rebels would shatter lanterns and plummet large sections of the city into darkness— a tactic that eventually aided a great deal in disabling the military’s ability to control the masses. When victories were achieved, hand held torches would often be paraded into the street in celebration. (Schivelbusch 97-114) In contemporary times, public lighting is a sign of economic wealth. A country and cities growth can be demonstrated by the amount of light visible from satellite photos.
An accessory to the function of the streetlight, the city is filled with a barely perceptible buzz and hum of the electricity overhead, occasionally accompanied by dampened clicks. I intend to bring this subtle sound to the fore alongside its invisible counterpart, the electromagnetic wave fields that radiate from the electrical wires by amplifying sodium halide light bulbs. In this way, I will allow the individuality of each singular light used to be seen and heard in the light + sound component of this installation. The visitor will be able to look at the light emitted, as well as hear the sound of each lamp amplified, enabling a closer observation of what, exactly, provides us light on the city streets.
Schivelbusch, Wolfgang. Disenchanted Night: The Industrialization of Light in the Nineteenth Century. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. 1995.