How long do you let yourself spiral for? / Monique Gawne
A lament and a love song, Monique uses field recordings of authentic conversations to explore the mental processes of healing from trauma. Monique works manually within the sonic field, using physical objects of symbolic significance to warp and manipulate her field recordings. From fans, to beer cans, to rusty speakers found at hostels, to the mug he gave her. Monique re-records her field recordings into and through these objects, creating new layers of ambience and emotion. Monique works intuitively. All decisions are guided by conceptual and symbolic direction. The work not only explores her healing process, but is the healing process. While making the artwork, the microphone becomes a point of release, intimate thoughts and feelings are shared to this device, now a therapeutic tool. It goes further: the microphone becomes a tool of accountability as Monique records her daily actions and the self-surveillance motivates her into positive behaviours. She records herself as she gets out of bed, brushes her teeth, gets changed, says “hi” to friends, and walks into town. Monique recommends listening with your throat and your chest.
