Lundahl & Seitl 'The Infinite Conversation'

Lundahl & Seitl
The Infinite Conversation
2011
Performance
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From Magasin 3 on The Infinite Conversation... 

The artist duo Lundahl & Seitl have created a performance that invites visitors to immerse themselves in total darkness at Magasin 3. 

For The Infinite Conversation, Lundahl & Seitl completely darken one of the galleries at Magasin 3. Visitors are led by the hand into a pitch-black room where they then drift in and out of conversations held between disembodied voices. Each new voice is projected out into the space, where it forms a dialogue with others. The gallery, like the dark caves of Lascaux, absorbs and stores this information in its own inherent memory–every visitor leaves a trace behind for the next person. 

The curator of the exhibition Richard Julin: “Lundahl & Seitl create experiences that linger in the consciousness of the visitor long after they leave. In Symphony of a Missing Room at the National Museum, for example, I was fascinated by how visitors trusted the artwork and gave themselves over to it. After following Lundahl & Seitl’s work at Weld and other European museums I am thrilled that they have now created a new work especially for Magasin 3.” 

http://www.magasin3.com/en/press/current/

Workshop at Gothenburg Museum of Art

Lundahl and Seitl in the topic of conversation

Part of our current research into the history of perception takes place inside the institution of the museum.  In our process of developing material for a new commission of Symphony of a Missing Room at Gothenburg Museum of Art we set up small gatherings; people from diverse areas, who recieve a question from us and who under further instructions ( in smaller groups ) then engage in conversations in various places around the museum building.

By the nature of questions, the conversations in each groups will lead into another, yet another question, and so forth.

But what other models for conversation is there? Is there other, potential layer of these conversations, another perspective of observation and of being witness to its production of meaning and negotiation of truth?

Like the journey the narrative that describes it travel a number of places. 

The conversation is in itself a journey between possible places, that somehow does not yet exist fully formed as an image. In this conceptual space, built by symbols and representations and glued together by the logic of language, we have a sense of being very near a destination, a room where inside the door we will find a pending answer, but this room seem to perpetually move away from us when we come near it, always keeping its proximity.

http://lundahl-seitl.com/

Lundahl and Seitl could be approached with the idea of exhibiting this work at the Wattis but, perhaps, modifying the prompt for the conversation to the concept of apology or topics related to apology such as a confession or forgiveness.  It could be that no prompt would be needed, however, inasmuch as a visitor to the exhibition would reflexively choose to engage in the theme.

-Dane