Corin Sworn, 'This Harmonic Chamber' (performance still) (2022), from the series 'Moving in Relation' (2021-22). Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Alan Dimmick.
Corin Sworn, Jer Reid and Luke Fowler present ‘This Harmonic Chamber’ – an incomplete, future film taking shape as a live performance lecture, with experimental sound and moving image.
Set within a distinctive redbrick factory – a former loom shed built in the 19th century – the performance deliberately plays with the apparently immaterial qualities of sound to physically reverberate this dense material site.
Through a deconstruction of the formal tactics of the lecture, Sworn describes a history that disconnects empirical philosophy from contemporary physics, charting intrinsic relationships between knowledge, idiosyncrasy and sensory experience. In parallel, the sonic performance amplifies the physical experience of sound unfolding within the space through vibratory resonances and echoes, building a palpably rich atmosphere.
‘This Harmonic Chamber’ is entangled in dichotomies of the material and immaterial, and speculation and sensation. The performance lecture teases out experiences of wavering uncertainty felt both bodily and mentally.
Throughout the performance, the spoken text can be followed online on mobile devices by scanning a QR code available at the venue. Fragments of video which accompany the lecture can also be viewed here through the same link.
‘This Harmonic Chamber’ is the second in a series of events entitled ‘Moving in Relation’ through which Sworn continues to research human interrelationships with technology. Working with dancers, academics and non-human collaborators, Sworn is developing a discursive and experimental event series that explores algorithmic thought, datafication and their influence on physical bodies, while seeking to make obscure knowledge immanent and palpable.
The first event, ‘eco-co-location’ by Corin Sworn and nussatari was presented within a suburban business park in the Clyde Valley in November 2021.
Further Info
Access the spoken text performed as part of ‘This Harmonic Chamber’ here. Available for a limited time.
Project Details
‘This Harmonic Chamber’ took place at 105 French Street, G40 4JS. The performance lasted c.40 minutes.
Read
Access the spoken text performed as part of ‘This Harmonic Chamber’ here. Available for a limited time.
Credits
Performance:
Scores and Sound: Corin Sworn, Jer Reid, Luke Fowler
Sound Engineer: Richie Dempsey
Costume: La Fetiche, Kenneth Thompson
Production and Website: Grace Jackson
Video (Online):
Movement: Molly Danter
Dramaturge: Jer Reid
Camera: Ambroise Leclerc / Paradax Period
