Confessional Room I, II
I : Installation
sound, tinsel, wood frame, a cup of milk, LED light
II: Video
2016
The idea of «Confessional Room I» came from a society where Christian culture was pervasive.
Confessional rooms were created in many types of churches for people to confess their sins. In Christian culture, the sound of worship, where many people gather and chant the same words, is a powerful collective action.
It’s a loud, emotionally stirring sound, and because of its dominant flat (♭) note, it has a powerful depressive effect on the listener, leading them to believe that they are sinners who are saying (or singing) the same thing together in a Christian temple.
What happens in the confessional is also sometimes irrational and closed. Those who confess their sins in the room are forgiven.
In the «Confessional Room I» visitors have to cut through the tinsel curtains used for Christmas decorations. In its place is glowing milk. The milk is holy, white, bright, and clean. (This is a reference to the glowing milk used in Alfred Hitchcock’s «Suspicion» (1941), which has been used as a symbol of innocence, purity, and more.) Visitors are asked to hold the glowing milk and make a silent or spoken confession. During this process, no one is allowed to enter the room, only to tell the milk about their affairs. The room echoes with a combination of worship sounds.
«Confessional Room II» is a video of confessing one’s sins while holding the milk, as recommended in the piece.
Confessional rooms were created in many types of churches for people to confess their sins. In Christian culture, the sound of worship, where many people gather and chant the same words, is a powerful collective action.
It’s a loud, emotionally stirring sound, and because of its dominant flat (♭) note, it has a powerful depressive effect on the listener, leading them to believe that they are sinners who are saying (or singing) the same thing together in a Christian temple.
What happens in the confessional is also sometimes irrational and closed. Those who confess their sins in the room are forgiven.
In the «Confessional Room I» visitors have to cut through the tinsel curtains used for Christmas decorations. In its place is glowing milk. The milk is holy, white, bright, and clean. (This is a reference to the glowing milk used in Alfred Hitchcock’s «Suspicion» (1941), which has been used as a symbol of innocence, purity, and more.) Visitors are asked to hold the glowing milk and make a silent or spoken confession. During this process, no one is allowed to enter the room, only to tell the milk about their affairs. The room echoes with a combination of worship sounds.
«Confessional Room II» is a video of confessing one’s sins while holding the milk, as recommended in the piece.
