Sonic Celestial Ropes
2021
PVD-coated stainless steel bells, stainless steel chains, quick links, split rings
Each 1600 x 11 x 11 cm
Photo: Studio Haegue Yang
Sonic Celestial Rope – Iridescent Dodecagon Straight Weave
2021
PVD-coated stainless steel bells, stainless steel chains, quick links, split rings
1600 x 11 x 11 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Barbara Wien, Berlin
Photo: Studio Haegue Yang
Sonic Celestial Rope – Iridescent Dodecagon Tight Curl
2021
PVD-coated stainless steel bells, stainless steel chains, quick links, split rings
1600 x 11 x 11 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Greene Naftali, New York
Photo: Studio Haegue Yang
Sonic Celestial Rope – Iridescent Dodecagon Loose Curl
2021
PVD-coated stainless steel bells, stainless steel chains, quick links, split rings
1600 x 11 x 11 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris
Photo: Studio Haegue Yang
Installation view of Double Soul, SMK – Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2022
Photo: Anders Sune Berg
Excerpt from exhibition guide of Double Soul, SMK – Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2022
Many of Yang’s Sonic Sculptures in various modalities can be regarded as performative pieces, evoking change and instability. Most of them are not stationary and can be set in motion, made to oscillate and turned upside down – all of which introduce elements of concrete, palpable change and, most importantly, are accompanied by sonic resonance. The sound, the metallic rattle and jingling, is an equally significant dimension of the Sonic Sculptures. Seeking to expand our experience of sculpture, Yang often activates senses other than just the sense of sight in her works – smell, touch or as here, hearing.
Stretched between the ground and the 20-metre-high ceiling, Sonic Celestial Ropes are made solely of bells connected with rings, hanging like sci-fi lianas in space. Their strong vertical axes draw one’s eye to automatically follow the ropes all the way up to the ceiling. When the ropes are shaken or hit manu- ally, the activated sound and curves rise, as if something is ascending.
The inspirational story behind these unusual rope sculptures is a Korean folk tale about two siblings escaping a wild tiger by climbing a rope appearing from the sky. Safe in heaven, they become the Sun and the Moon. A rope or sometimes a ladder is a recurring feature in many folk tales and mythologies as a means of connection and communication between the sky and earth. Yang’s keen interest in various references about mystic leaps thus informs Sonic Celestial Ropes as well.
Exhibition history
Double Soul, SMK – Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2022
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