At the National Gallery of Iceland, Sorrowful Soil, the piece Björk dedicated to her mother Hildur Rúna Hauksdóttir, becomes a sound architecture to be walked through. It is the centerpiece of Echolalia, the first major exhibition the museum has devoted to the Icelandic artist, where the musical score is transformed into space and the visitors’ movements continuously recompose the music.
A large oval formed by thirty speakers is wrapped in a woven black curtain printed with a musical score. At its center, an opening allows visitors to step inside. Each speaker carries a single voice from the Hamrahlíð Choir, recorded separately from the others. The voices, which we would normally hear blended into a single chorus, are given distinct positions, almost acquiring physical bodies within the room. Approaching a speaker brings one voice into focus; moving away causes it to recede and merge back into the choir. In Sorrowful Soil the visitor’s movement continually recomposes the music.