Playtime: Two Exhibitions by Daniel Olson: Requiem

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Other associated events: Opening Reception Friday, March 24, 7:30 pm Artist's talk 8:00 pm

I don't love the world - not by a long shot - but I am in love with some of the details. Requiem and Distinct Means might be seen as a reflection of this sentiment - both make use of small things encountered in the course of life. For about twenty years I have been collecting musical toys. Found in thrift shops and yard sales, often broken and/or abused, they have variously manifested themselves in my work: sometimes as sound sources for audio recordings; sometimes as lead players in video works; sometimes transformed into multiples; sometimes as objects manipulated in live performances. Despite their widespread appearance, they mostly occur alone or a few at a time. For Requiem many of these toys are collected together in one work. Each toy will be catalogued and recorded, the sound files digitally manipulated -primarily by slowing them down to about one-third speed, my preferred transformation - and combined semi-randomly as a four-channel recording subsequently mixed down to stereo. The resulting 'symphonic composition' will be played in the gallery, with the toys on display and the addition of a projected video loop of a casual flower arrangement in a small mason jar. Daniel Olson, 2005

Daniel Olson, Requiem (Installation View), 2006.