Allora & Calzadilla’s work embraces elements of play and humour as well as a critical dimension. Their sculptures, photography, performances and films borrow from a wide range of cultures and contexts and refer to current socio-political and cultural issues. The two artists live in Puerto Rico, an island which is a territory of the United States but has a hybrid Caribbean culture and a colonial legacy.
The exhibition will provide an opportunity to see recent installations and videos on the theme of music and the social and political significance of the uses to which music and sometimes the human voice are put. The central work will be a monumental installation entitled Wake Up (2007): a sound and light sculpture composed of white walls diffusing the music of ten famous trumpet-players performing their own individual interpretations of ‘Reveille’. In many countries this is the tune used by the military to mark the start of the day and the moment at which the national flag is hoisted. The trumpet-players interpret the tune in a subversive way, subtly alienating it from its original militaristic context. The sound track is linked to a lighting scheme to create a visual/auditory experience of space.