Wheels’00
An 8-channel Audio Installation, presented alongside works by Aude Langlois, Jan Thoben, Jorge Vicario, Nick Klein & Zach Hart, Nico Rosenberg, Sean Regan and Simina Oprescu
Sounding the Museum @ Märkisches Museum, Berlin (1-20 Dec 2022)
recorded at museum
Stereo version, with artificial reverb
(Video coming soon)
In 1900s Berlin, a girl is given a miniature kitchen set, hairbrushes, cleaning supplies, and dolls with prams to play with. A boy, an entire army regiment, some tanks, and cars. Some toys in these recordings were labelled with SS (Schutzstaffel) symbols, an organisation under the Nazi Party during World War II.
These toys, designed by adults, begin to seemingly innocently yet aggressively shape a young child’s role in society. Though similar in acoustic quality, the ways in which each of these would be interactive with is drastically different.
In these recordings, toys with wheels were used. These wheels represent a moving cycle- repetition. Whether it is the 1800s, 1900s, or 2000s, generations of children have been indoctrinated into gender roles through the toys they were given.
Through using just sound it is difficult to distinguish between toy pram, and toy tank. As they travel(led) through both the reverberate environment of the old museum and dry institutional archive that they have been living in, they come to life again.
This time, with no role, no gender, no children to influence.
A very special thank you to museum representative Randy-Noreen Rathenow for granting me access to such a wonderful toy collection.