Different Kinds of Water

Narrator: 

Here you can make sounds that you can also see at the same time. It might sound a bit strange, but sounds, patterns in woven textiles, and movement are the things that make up Different Kinds of Water, a textile-and-sound installation by the artist Pearla Pigao. Pigao tells us how all these things come together. 

Pearla Pigao: 

When I’m working on my art, I always begin with an audio file. I use Photoshop to transform it into an image file, and then when I open it, I see a pattern. The pattern varies depending on the sounds I use.  

And then I take this pattern back to my studio and into my tapestry. And when I weave, I weave with steel threads. This means that later on, I can run a weak electrical current through the textile and the steel. 

Narrator: 

In this way, Pearla Pigao can charge the tapestry with the same sound that she used to make the pattern you can see in the tapestry, that’s hanging from the ceiling of the Light Hall. But she needs your contribution to make the work complete.  

Pearla Pigao: 

The work functions like a musical instrument. When you get close to the surfaces of the textile, you can contribute to playing music on them. The nearer you get, the higher the pitch of the sounds you generate. And the more people who move together near the textiles, the louder the sound gets.  

Narrator: 

Are you wondering what this might sound like? There’s only one way to find out — try it for yourself!