At an exhibition of Elisabeth Penker's work at the HTTP Gallery, she presented a sound installation and performed on a geometric wooden instrument. Her work explores rhythm and musicality through rearranging phonetic units of language. Her sound installation breaks down the words "Die Bildhauerin" into linguistic elements to form a minimal composition. On opening night, she performed on her Sonic Structure instrument, which amplifies any sounds made on its wooden surface through microphones. Her work is inspired by experiments with noise and sound by early 20th century artists like Luigi Russolo.

1. Elisabeth Penker
Bei der Eröffnung von "Protections" wird Penker auf ihrem "Sonic Structure" genannten Instrument, das in die
Choreographie der Klanginstallation "Die Bildhauerin" eingebettet ist, live spielen. Das Instrument hat eine
vage Ähnlichkeit mit einem Keyboard und ist aus Holz und industriellen Materialien gefertigt. Alle Klänge, die
auf dieser Konstruktion erzeugt werden, werden mithilfe einer Reihe von in unterschiedlicher Höhe montierten
Mikrofonen verstärkt, wodurch es der Künstlerin ermöglicht wird, Musik zu machen. Ihre Würdigung von Luigi
Russolos "The Art of Noise" und Jack Foley’s Aufnahmemethoden für Filmsoundtracks ermöglicht ihr, ein
Vokabular für Rhythmus und sprachliche Transformationen zu finden. Mithilfe eines Orchesters, das, obwohl
es nur aus aus industriellen Materialien gefertigten Instrumenten besteht, in der Lage ist, jene Kräfte
einzubinden, die in die differenzierteste Klangstruktur überhaupt – die Sprache – eingebettet sind, gelingt
Penker eine geglückte Neuformulierung der alten Formel der Avantgarde.
Adam Budak
Installation view: Elisabeth Penker „(Untitled) Instrument”
“Protections: This is not an exhibition”, Kunsthaus Graz 2006

2. Elisabeth Penker
At the opening for "Protections" Penker will play live on her instrument entitled "Sonic Structure" which is
choreographed within the sound piece "Die Bildhauerin (The Sculptor [fem.])". The instrument vaguely resembles a
keyboard, made of wood and industrial materials, any sounds made on this structure are amplified by means of a
number of microphones set at different heights that allows the artist to produce music. By acknowledging Luigi
Russolo's "The Art of Noise" and Jack Foley’s recording methods for film, allows her to find a vocabulary for rhythm
and language transformations. Penker successfully rephrases the old avant-garde formula through an orchestra that,
although organized with instruments made of industrial materials, is able to involve those forces embedded within
the most sophisticated sonic structure of all - linguistics.
Text: Adam Budak
Installation view: Elisabeth Penker „(Untitled) Instrument”
“Protections: This is not an exhibition”, Kunsthaus Graz (background: Elmgreen & Dragset)

3. Installation view: HTTP Gallery, curated by Tobi Maier 2005

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Elisabeth Penker
HTTP GALLERY
71 Ashfield Road
May 10–June 15
For the past few years, Austrian artist Elisabeth Penker
has been exploring the spatial dynamics that occur in the
relation between objects and sound. In her solo show at
this not-for-profit space consecrated to "technologically
termed praxis," she investigates rhythm and musicality by
New York
· Aïda Ruilova
· Julie Mehretu rearranging phonetic units in a process inspired by First
Nation languages. With the multichannel sound installation
· Ian Cooper
Die Bildhauerin (The Sculptress), 2005, the artist breaks
· Jack Goldstein
the grammatical structure of the title words into units, or Sonic Structure (portable
· Matthew instrument), 2005.
"morphemes," which become the basis of a minimal
Buckingham and
Joachim Koester
composition that resonates in and shapes the surrounding
space. Backed by pre-recorded vocals and the echoing
· Neo Rauch
sound of two stonemasons chiselling into a wall, Penker's
· Katarina Burin
performance on the show's opening night took place on
· Joan Mitchell Sonic Structure (portable instrument), 2005, a geometric
construction vaguely resembling a keyboard, made of
wood and covered with industrial flooring. Any sounds
made on this structure are amplified by means of a
London
· Elisabeth
Penker number of microphones set at different heights that allow
any performer to produce music with wooden blocks and
sandpaper. Having examined Luigi Russolo's "Futurist
Manifesto" of 1912 and, in particular, his experiments with
Berlin
· Susanne
Paesler noise, Penker successfully rephrases the old avant-garde
formula through an orchestra that, although organized with
· Anselm Reyle
instruments made of industrial materials, is able to involve
those forces embedded within the most sophisticated
Milan sonic structure of all—linguistics.
· Urs Fischer
· Christian
Boltanski
—Diana Baldon
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Vienna
· Karin Frank
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· Sookoon Ang
and Susanne
Winterling
Elsewhere
· Sharjah Biennial
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