What does voice from sky sound like? You may get a taste of it through Tiffany Singh’s art project, Knock on the sky listen to the sound, which is exhibited in ‘18th Biennale of Sydney: all our relation’. In one of the installations at Cockatoo Island, I see hundreds of wind chimes suspending in outdoor space. They are arranged in layers according to the color gradation and there are totally 800 of wind chimes. The wind chimes are made of bamboo and in natural light brown; the painted colors are relatively bright and saturated. When there is wind, the wind chimes would create complicated sounds. The title is a Buddhist proverb which concludes Tiffany Singh’s feeling on a journey over the Himalayas where the sky felt so close that people felt like they can knock on it.
When people enter this installation, they naturally look up as the wind chimes are evenly suspended slightly over their heads. The blue sky of Sydney becomes one of the elements. The scale of is so large that the colourful wind chimes can cover the blue sky in viewers’ eyes. It creates an illusion of sound is actually coming from the sky. The complex shadows created by the wind chimes also attract viewers’ attention to look down. The pattern of shadows softly changes at every moment. Though there is no specific focusing point, the viewers are surrounded by blue sky, hundreds of wind chimes, their shadows and sounds; they are temporarily escaped from the urban life. These elements engage people to enter a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.
I can feel the positive energy in this installation. When I see hundreds of wind chimes slowly move in cycles over the blue sky for a period of time, my thinking is cleared. Besides, the collisions of bamboos in the wind chimes are clear and melodious; they form beats and rhythms in my mind. If I can feel winds from the video, I think the breeze would make me comfortable too. Although I have experienced different kinds of wind chimes for many times, I find this artwork exceptionally outstanding in terms of therapy. But what makes it so different? I think this artwork make very good use of the location. In comparing to another installation of the same project in pier 2/3, which is a similar indoor work paying attention on visual impact and interactivity, I find the installation in Cockatoo Island more interesting. Sydney is very famous of beautiful sunny sky. This work has exactly a good presentation that can absorb Sydney’s sky as its elements and form the key to enter people’s heart.
As there are many colourful and bright colours, I think Tiffany Singh probably feel enjoy and happy in creating this artwork. In her works, I can see love, hope and peace; she spreads her experience in religious belief over her canvas and creates outstanding artworks. She even tries to let people to have a taste of Buddhist in this installation. I think she is very brave to share. In my opinion, she is an artist who intends to make positive works which may be a bit different from the mainstream, and I love her work.
All in all, I think ‘Knock on the sky listen to the sound’ is an interesting and outstanding artwork. I appreciate Tiffany Singh’s ideas to create this artwork and it raises my interest towards installations and Buddhist. I would recommend people who go to Sydney to have a visit on this artwork as well. I think it is a successful work.
