Gary HILL, "Circular Breathing"

Gary HILL, "Circular Breathing".

Gary HILL, "Circular Breathing".

Gary HILL, Circular Breathing

📍East Gallery - The Tower, Luma Foundation, Arles

▪️ iDzia installation : Stereo sound, 2 Genelec Smart Active Monitor speakers / ERCO lighting

Gary HILL, "Circular Breathing"

Circular Breathing by Gary Hill, presented at the Galerie Est - La Tour, Fondation Luma in Arles, captivated visitors with its evocative power and enigmatic atmosphere. The installation, showcased from September 23, 2022, to March 5, 2023, immerses the audience in a universe where images and sounds blend to create a unique sensory experience. Through a series of successive scenes, Hill weaves a fragmented narrative, intertwining images, sounds, and movements that provoke both fascination and questioning.

In Circular Breathing, each image seems to overlap with the next, creating a sense of strangeness that gradually dissipates over time. Scenes of bustling streets in Tangier, a ship sailing on the high seas, and the interior of a mosque merge with more intimate moments, such as a man chopping wood or a cigarette slowly burning down in an ashtray. These juxtapositions of images plunge us into a play of temporality and perception, where each scene feels both familiar and strange. The slow movements, like that of an elderly woman absorbed in her reading or large, thick hands loading a pistol, contrast with close-up shots of grass blades and an insect dragging its prey, creating a balance between the everyday and the mysterious.

At the heart of this installation, the hands of a woman playing the piano echo throughout the work, providing a musical and visual continuity. The music, although distorted by changes in speed that disrupt its rhythm, is recognizable as Vexations by Erik Satie, a piece known for its hypnotic repetitiveness. This distortion of the music, enhanced by the iDzia sound installation with its stereo sound, two Genelec Smart Active Monitors, and ERCO lighting, intensifies the sensory experience. The resonance of sound and the modulation of light create total immersion, where both the listener and the viewer find themselves in a state of temporal suspension.

Through Circular Breathing, Gary Hill does more than layer images and sounds: he invites the viewer to undergo an introspective experience, where time, perception, and emotion blend and transform. The installation, despite its apparent simplicity, touches on deep questions of memory, identity, and reality while offering an intense exploration of the senses. This work fascinates with its ability to capture attention while leaving room for interpretation, making it an unforgettable experience for those fortunate enough to witness it.

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From September 23, 2022 to March 05, 2023

@Garyhillstudio // @luma_arles // @idzia_audiovisuel