Barbara Bloom

Never odd or even

The Reign of Narcissism.

Barbara Bloom is a sculptor; she mainly works in terms of installations, constructing large, elegant rooms. The installation The French Diplomatís Office, created by Bloom together with Christian Marclay, is a case in point. In the exhibition, however, it takes the form of a pure sound piece, namely the soundtrack related to the French diplomat’s grandiose office. The soundtrack consists of 18 carefully directed scenes forming a narrative sequence, and triggering associations in the spectator that point in the direction of a love story. The work begins with the sound of a letter being written. Someone knocks on a door, footsteps can be heard, bottles of champagne are opened, a camera is adjusted and the shutter is pressed, a clock is ticking, and a thunder storm makes itself heard along with other sounds from the outside: the twitter of birds, whistling, and cars. These and other incidents are spiced up with a cinematic style of music that alternates between suspense, romance and anxiety.

Room installation