The Other Side, 2018, multichannel sound installation. Exhibition documentation, a woman is listening to voices from the women’s section of the Western Wall Plaza.
2018
A series of sound installations, lengths vary
In her exhibition Kelim, Meital Covo presents a series of sound installations, linking the authentic with the performative. The installation comprises minimalist objects from which sounds emanate, including voices recorded by Covo about 10 years ago from the women’s section of the Western Wall Plaza, theatre students from the Emunah College, and the artist’s own voice.
__
People used to inhabit the building which now houses the Villa Gallery. The space enables Covo to create a psychogeographic sound work referring to a habitat whose windows are now blocked. Covo delineates borders between private and public through the placement of wooden partitions, an overturned chest of drawers, and two spaces for seclusion, all serving as vessels (“kelim”) and sound boxes for voices.
(Ayelet Hashahar Cohen, exhibition text, Vila Gallery, Emunah College, 2018)
__
The Other Side
Multichannel sound installation, 13 min, 4.8/2.4m wooden partition, vibration speakers.
The Other Side, 2018, multichannel sound installation. Exhibition documentation, a woman is listening to voices from the women’s section of the Western Wall Plaza.
Voices heard from inside of the wooden partition were recorded from the women’s section of the Western Wall between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, from 2009 to 2011, between 12 midnight and dawn. This interval of time is considered a “time of favor” during which the Gates of Heaven are opened and God is listening. The taped voices of men and women from the Kotel – the Wailing Wall – were combined with voice recordings from a vocal performance commissioned by the artist. Together they create a soundscape in a visual space.
___
At a Different Time, Parts I and II
Sound installation, 10sec
From a drawer hung on the wall at the entrance to the Gallery, sounds of breathing are heard, emanating from the small space at the end of the lobby to the right. This alcove was used as the kitchen when the Villa was lived in.
__
Where is My Voice
Sound installation, 15min
The overturned chest of drawers is the focus for a community of attentive listeners. The voices heard through the headphones were recorded during another performance, developed by Covo in collaboration with Reut Paz, a lecturer at the Emunah College. The students who participated in the action were directed to refer to the special time of day considered “time of favor,” to provide a place and voice to one’s deepest wishes, using tools of Mindfulness and Authentic Movement.
__
Geniza
Sound installation and performance
On the opening day of the exhibition, visitors are invited to record their voice in the inner room behind the wooden partition. The performance with audience participation will enable the voices to be recorded, some to be stored and some to be heard in the future. During the exhibition, this space will function as a space of silence in which to be alone with one’s thoughts.
MEITAL COVO | מיטל קובו 