Laurent Güdel (*1984, lives and works in Biel)
Unknown artist, 2020
Audio, Monophonic, 1091’50”
In his sound installation Laurent Güdel presents a sound document found by chance. When he received an order of four digital recorders from China, he discovered that three files were stored on one of them: they contained a continuous recording of more than 18 hours of muffled voices and indistinct sounds. Apparently, an employee of the shipping company pressed the REC button before placing it in the shipping box. The sound seems to come from a warehouse in southern China, but the location of the recording site could not be specifically determined. If we listen closely, we perceive sounds of barcode scanners, vehicle engines, the shifting of pallets, container doors, etc. The duration of the recording shows that the activity in this warehouse never quite stops. Voice recordings are rarer, yet employees can sometimes be heard talking. This sound object represents a unique phonography of the inaudible functioning of commercial exchange. The installation provokes a shift in listening by letting us take the perspective of the commodity itself. Thus, the stereophonic device attempts to recreate the acoustic space of this warehouse as captured by the recording device.
Laurent Güdel is participating in the initiative «artist takeover» of our Instagram-Account:
#artisttakeover on 2.3.2021
