Photo 2 and 3: B.O.D.Y., the Exhibition "Sophia" - GEDOK Bonn 15.5 - 21.8.2011 at Frauenmuseum Bonn (Womenmuseum Bonn), Photo 3 photographed by Jürgen Reggentin
Photo 4-6 : B.O.D.Y., the Exhibition Positionen 50 Jahre GEDOK Berlin (positions 50 years GEDOK Berlin) at the Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien in Berlin, 22.10-28.11 2010
Photo 7 : B.O.D.Y., the Exhibition at the foto image factory in Berlin, 27.9-14.10 2010

The “B.O.D.Y.” consists of pictures and recorded sounds of different people, nationalites, gender and age groups, as well as a part of myself.

My audiovisual concept on the subject of the body comprises both feelings of closeness and distance.
I try to create a virtual world of sensitive touch which interacts with the shared senses of others.

The project ”B.O.D.Y“ 2000-2009

The performance project “sensation of motion in time” began in the year 2000 with two actresses from Theater Thikwa, a Berlin-based theatre project by actors with and without disabilities. It was originally conceived as a performance and video installation on the subject of “time, space and bodies”, which was presented at the “touch” exhibition held at the Künstler Bahnhof Westend by the Karl-Hof society. Both of the actresses I worked with back then suffered from spastic paralysis. Later in 2003, I worked with two other actresses from the same theatre on my performance project “sensation of motion in time#2”, which was presented within the scope of the exhibition “(in-)perfekte Menschen” (literally: (im)perfect people) at the Martin-Gropius-Bau museum in Berlin.

The visual piece “body landscape” evolved at the time of this second performance in 2003, when I started taking microcosmic shots of body parts and skin. I was reflecting on nature, ultimately comparing it with social beauty criteria. In their natural environment, trees and plants have their own forms and do not underlie any fixed norms when it comes to how they look. Looking to the landscape, it became clear to me back then what life means. With the microcosmic photos of body parts in the work “Landschaft (landscape) des Körpers (body)”, I examined issues of identity, gender, beauty ideals and body consciousness.
Up until today, I continually turn to the subject of “time, space and bodies” in my work, using this theme in various media such as photography, video and sound art, performances and mix-media installations. In doing so, I deal with the transformation of thoughts and feelings, as well as the creation of conceptional content.

The wall installation “B.O.D.Y.” consists of a series of 20 fine art archival prints sealed with Fotosec and presented in a 20 x 100 cm space, as well as seven different sounds which can be heard through binaural haedphones and consist of recordings of people of different nationalities, gender and age groups. The 20 photos of different human bodies have been hung next to each other at 10–25 cm intervals, arranged from light to dark or dark to light gradients (there is no beginning or end of an image). In addition, seven sounds which individual guests can listen to through binaural haedphones (individual hearing in the closed system) supplement these images. Physical sensitivity is intensified together with the dual intimacy of the acoustic setting – a physically “attached” way of listening through binaural headphones where synthesised sound with an “intestinal” imagination evokes the function of internal organs (the steady rhythm of a heartbeat, breathing and the tentative sounds of organs). The intensity in both the audible range and field of view stimulate the onlookers’ imaginations, which in turn leads to a sensitisation for the otherwise invisible details of living bodies. This wall installation was created with a collage technique and the audio is based on the Surrealist method of dépaysement. The effect of the installation is intensified by the sounds, which, as a sensual audible expression, are completely devoted to the audience and allow onlookers to ultimately make their own free associations with the images.
The gradient from light to dark or vice-versa is a metaphor for “time, space and bodies” in nature, for life and for death.

B.O.D.Y. - 7 x Sound (electroacoustic Sound)
Erika Matsunami
Audio Engineer : Niklas Schmincke

sound composition:

©Erika Matsunami and Niklas Schmincke (GEMA, Germany)

Dimension: 590-875 (variable) x 100cm, 7 sounds (7 MP3 player + 7 binaural headphones)
sketch-room-model 1, sketch-room-model 2

Performance in the room with 5 discrete mono-temoprary Soundinstallation

Exhibition:

2012

2011