From December 17 until March 25, 2012, Janet Cardiff’s Forty-Part Motet is back on display at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.
After its introduction and winner of the Millennium Prize 2001, the brilliant sound sculpture by Canadian artist Janet Cardiff has finally returned to the Canadian capital.
Based on Spem in Alium by 16th-century English composer Thomas Tallis, forty separately-recorded choir voices are played back through 40 speakers positioned around the museum’s Rideau Chapel.
The effect of this 10-minute Gregorian chant on visitors is deeply moving, earning it a popularity rarely encountered by contemporary art.
"Most people experience this piece now in their living rooms in front of only two speakers," said Cardiff. "Even in a live concert the audience is separated from the individual voices. Only the performers are able to hear the person standing next to them singing a different harmony. I wanted to be able to climb inside the music."
The National Gallery of Canada, located at 380 Sussex Drive, is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm, and Thursdays until 8 pm. The museum is closed Mondays.