Direct Bodily Empathy – Sensing Sound
Ross Manning, Spectra V, 2012, wood, metal, florescent tubes, oscillating fans, power boards, power cords. Chartwell Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 2012.
Direct Bodily Empathy – Sensing Sound
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Where
Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre
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When
17 May 2025 - 16 March 2026
Direct Bodily Empathy – Sensing Sound explores sound as a medium, and the dimensions of sympathetic resonance, attuning with shared vibration, embodied knowledge, and the physical act of deep listening.
The exhibition spans sonic structures and resonant objects, graphic scores and visual music, tangible motion sculptures and kinetic installations, architectural soundings, experimental films, composition, and choreography.
Taking a polyphonic approach, Direct Bodily Empathy places leading twentieth-century artist Len Lye in concert with his contemporaries, elaborating on these historical echoes through new commissions and recent works by Aotearoa and international contemporary artists. Leading out a two-part exhibition programme, Sensing Sound asks: Can architecture be a musical score? Can the body be an instrument? Can colour be heard? How does this move us?
Curated to celebrate the tenth anniversary year of the Len Lye Centre, the exhibition includes A Score for the Len Lye Centre, where artist composer Mia Salsjö has transposed the shimmering architectural contours of the art museum into a musical score. This composition will be performed by an ensemble of musicians from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra led by conductor Hamish McKeich on August 30 and displayed as a sound installation from September 6 as part of an evolving performance programme.
The exhibition includes Ross Manning's Spectra V, on loan from the Chartwell Collection and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.
Visit the Govett-Brewster website for further details.
