Day 62 and I finally made it to Pier 2/3. I have to admit I’d been putting it off, never feeling quite in the mood to make the time commitment needed to appreciate the sound piece by Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller. I’d heard a rumour that it took 45 minutes to get through. In the way of rumours, its length stretched and extended until my friend Vernon (and yes this is his real name, he is not so innocent as to need protection) said to me, as I tried to convince him to keep me company, “I heard it’s 2-3 hours long.” “No,” said I, “It’s only 45 minutes.” But this, it seems, was not a particularly persuasive argument.
As it turns out, the piece titled, “The Murder of Crows”, is only 30 minutes long, but the point is that even this seems like a long time to our fast paced, attention deficient, channel surfing minds. Perhaps too long?
Maybe it was because I expected to have to sit there for a whole 45 minutes that 30 didn’t seem so bad, but I found the work strangely compelling. And it is interesting that sound alone kept me seated and engaged for half an hour, while I doubt I would have been so patient with a video work demonstrating a similar lack of coherent plot. I thought I’d be hard pressed to make it to the end, but the nifty surround sound of squalling gulls, creepy choirs, rousing marching music and ghostly footsteps was compelling.
In fact, the sound was great; physical vibrations which provoked imagination: loud, subtle, emotional and intriguing. On the other hand, the narrative component was heavy handed and irritating. A female voice occupying a virtual couch/confessional relates her macabre dreams, placing us, the audience, in the awkward position of priest/voyeur/therapist under pressure to think of some wise or comforting reply (or even just to give a damn). Could have done without that. And without the saccharine sweet lullaby. But overall a fairly satisfying investment of time. Nothing quite like having low expectations to come away pleasantly surprised!

Tracey Clement is an artist and writer, who currently lives in Sydney. Some of her recent artwork can be seen at www.groundfloorgallery.com