Arts and Culture

From: ARCHITECT 2013
Posted on: March 8, 2013
Culture

'Night Sounds' at the Glass House

A new video captures Julianna Barwick's performance for "Night Sounds," a showcase of art and music at Philip Johnson's Glass House.

By: Kriston Capps

Julianna Barwick's December performance at Philip Johnson's Glass House captured something elusive about that building. Singing alone, Barwick loops her voice over and over, creating a chorus. She isn't singing any words. The Barwick chorus is haunting, but not frightful. Her sound is vulnerable without being brittle. It's stark but not severe. "Glasarchitektur" might not be the first word I would use to describe Barwick's music, but it's not far off. Video of her performance for <a href="http://philipjohnsonglasshouse.org/programs/">"Night Sounds"</a>—the first installment in a new performance series at the Canaan, Conn. modern monument is <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2013/03/04/173430573/first-watch-julianna-barwick-offing">now available</a>. Robin Hilton at <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2013/03/04/173430573/first-watch-julianna-barwick-offing">All Songs Considered</a> explains that Barwick's song is called "Offing," the opening track of a full-length record that she will be releasing next year. The 'Night Sounds' performances complement <a href="http://philipjohnsonglasshouse.org/visit/exhibitions/night/">"Night (1947–2015),"</a> a rotating "sculpture-in-residence" series that places new sculpture with a connection to Johnson's life and work in situ at the Glass House. The specific piece that corresponds with Barwick's performance is Ken Price's Doola (2011), which caught the attention of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/21/arts/design/show-at-johnsons-glass-house-yields-a-giacometti.html?_r=0">The New York Times</a> when the work inaugurated the "Night" series in September. Doola shines in its own weird way alongside Barwick, in a video that is glossy without being a production. It all works. When has the Glass House ever looked so new?</body></html>