Internal Earthquake (2014)

This work was part of the one-day exhibition, The Ability to Fail in Public at Kreuzberg Pavillon on April 21st 2014, which explored the role of failures in artistic practices. The exhibition’s conceptual framework demanded that the testing and development of the work happened on the day of presentation. 

Internal Earthquake is a sound installation that challenges the cultural dominance of sight by exploring how architecture and the body can be experienced through vibrations created by sound. During the show, Mannigel investigated the exhibition space by experimenting with its aural, spatial, and vibrational qualities. After a series of tests, she decided to use a pre-existing 2-channel sound piece composed of low frequency sounds. The set-up for Internal Earthquake consisted of two speakers, which were placed on the wooden floor in the center of a completely dark room at approx. 3 meters distance apart and facing each other. Two neon blue light sticks marked the front-bottom part of the speakers and thus served as minimal guiding light sources to prevent potential accidents. In addition, a felt blanket situated between them created a listening space. Internal Earthquake accommodated one visitor at a time. The low frequency sounds generated a vibrationally dense experience of space, which evoked feelings that oscillated between comfort and discomfort. Since Internal Earthquake questioned human reliance on the sense of sight, Mannigel documented it by highlighting the installation’s absence of visual content. 

It is recommended to listen with headphones or low frequency speakers.

Credits
Photo: Heiko Pfreundt

Installation view.