Exhibition information

Private View: 4th November 2010, 6-8 pm (RSVP)
Public Show: 5th November – 10th December 2010, 10am-5pm

Free Entry

The Library
Goldsmiths, University of London
London SE14 6NW

Exhibition details

The library is a phenomenal space. Not only does it provide a large body of literature and media, it is also somewhere where an enormous incurrence and exchange of knowledge and ideas takes place. But there is something else, something that has made me curious about libraries ever since I started to visit them. It is the sound of the space, intending to be so quiet and, yet if you listen care-fully, so loud. It is the smell of books, and the feeling of their pages flipping through my fingers. It is the perception of spatial density, emotional tensity and temporal slowness and it astonishes me every time I enter such as space.

-the exhibitor, August 2010

Goldsmiths Library is a place where sonic ambience can be observed in great richness. Its architecture and spatial structure constantly produce sonic
changes, which effect our aural perception. The walls and doors, shelves and corridors almost seem to build an aural labyrinth.

The aim of this exhibition is to reveal the acoustics of the library, by drawing attention to the everyday environmental sounds, even those which are unhearable. The library visitors are sent on a sound journey, it is hoped they
will become conscious of the diverse sonic atmosphere. This could take place
in a single moment, as an illustrated sound catches the attention or connects
with a personal memory or emotion. It also may be a more subtle realisation
that takes place over a longer period of time. Given the impression of
spatiality, the movement of time and the flows of communication within the
library, the audience is challenged to reflect, question and wonder about the
library soundscape.

This exhibition includes several low and high-tech installations, which are arranged throughout the Rutherford Building. The audience is invited to
explore the notion of the library soundscape, including keynote sounds and
readings from the special collections. Works contain image, sound and text.

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