------------------------------------------------
NOTES

------------------------------------------------

For her contribution to Radio Gallery, Susan Philipsz will revisit The Dead, a work she produced in 2000. Based on James Joyce's eponymous 1914 story, reinterpreted by way of John Houston's posthumously released 1987 film, Philipsz's work touched upon themes of loss, retrieval and memory. Originally, it existed as a 12" vinyl recording of 'The Lass of Aughrim', an old Irish lament known as a token song, and a blank 35mm film onto which a section of the song had been transposed. The song, rendered in Philipsz's signature a capella interpretation, is prominent in both Joyce and Houston's version of the story as a trigger for the memories of youth which produce a devastating effect on the heroine. Philipsz' film, devoid of all imagery, explores the evocative power of sound. It deteriorates with every projection, with white flecks appearing in the texture of the film, creating a mental space for one to project oneself into. In The Dead, Philipsz considered not only the emotive and psychological implications of the separation between sound and image, but also their transposition across different media.

In Radio Gallery No. 9, Philipsz expands this problematics to the situation of a radio transmission. Widely relying on the talkÐshow format as one of the most pervasive forms of the radio broadcast, Philipsz has recorded a programme in which she tells the story of the ideas, circumstances and personal motivations behind the creation of The Dead. The programme draws on a variety of sources, including excerpts from the original recording, elements of Philipsz's research archive, a reading from Joyce's story, the sound of a film projector, and an especially performed version of the song from the 'Sirens'Ðsection of Ulysses set to the tune of 'Salve Regina'.