APHASIA

Fine Arts
Paddington, AU
FUNDED

APHASIA is the new work by collaborating artists Darragh O Callaghan and David Sudmalis. It is an immersive installation bringing together our practices in photomedia, sculpture, sound and music. Our blog on the work is at www.aphasiaocallaghansudmalis.blogspot.com

The term ‘aphasia’ comes from the Greek root meaning speechless caused by fear or perplexity.  In English, aphasia refers to a medical condition that presents as difficulties in language ability, occasioned by injury or disease to the brain. For us, we are treating the notion of aphasia as indicative of the difficulties of communication: contested meaning, incomplete comprehension, and malleable memory.  It is a rich personal reservoir of experience upon which we are both drawing for this work.

APHASIA takes its point of departure letters written to Darragh and her own dreams.  In bringing these source materials together, we bring into dispute worlds of reality and fantasy, disputed truths and obvious fictions, until these separate worlds merge and are indistinguishable from each other – a new entity with its own antecedents and consequents, and the inherent difficulties that such a conflation inevitably produces.

APHASIA is an immersive, convergent installation that has within it discrete elements that combine to create an atmosphere of missed communication, contested meaning, changing context and imprecise memory.

The elements within are:

• Entry installation - a red door through which one must pass through to enter APHASIA, with a sound installation comprised of a reworking of the Irish song of greeting Céad míle fáilte (you can hear an excerpt of this in one of the audio examples below)
• Tape and fog sculptural installation - masses of audio reel-to-reel tape suspended from the ceiling and fog hugging the floor creating a sense of disembodiment and disconnection from the immediate physical surroundings. In moving within and through the tape installation, the spectator negotiates a sensory dissociation with the field of vision restricted, with tape gently falling across the face, and with sound emanating from above. The fog that sits at floor level further reinforces this disembodiment, rendering the physical 'grounding' unseeable
• Quadraphonic sound installation - a quiet, understated sound composition based around the texts of letters to Darragh and her own dreams spatialised within the gallery
• Infrasonic installation - an inaudible sonic installation that has an involuntary impact on the physiology of the spectator
• Video projection installation - a return to the red door presented in an unfamiliar and unknowing context.

Read and experienced together, these elements combine to create a new world that is at first experienced linearly, then simultaneously. It draws upon sight, sound, touch - and it explores the minutiae of personal (mis)understanding amplified to a universal experience.

We hope you will join us in the journey of APHASIA, as our partner in seeing the project come to fruition. Have a look at the rewards that are on offer - we think that there is something there for just about everyone! Plus, of course, our enduring thanks and love...

All rewards will be posted to backers in early December 2012!!!
 

Thank you so very much,
Darragh and David

Gallery: 
Audio File: 
Opening night and rewards update
Posted: Tuesday, 11 December, 2012 - 02:12

Dear all,

We are delighted to report that the opening of APHASIA at the Australian Centre for Photography was a great success - thank you so much for your support in helping us to realise this!

APHASIA will stay at ACP until February 17!

We are finalising all of the rewards packages now, and aim to have them in the post and to you in the coming weeks! We hope you enjoy!

So keep an eye out on your mailbox!!

Lots of love and thanks,

Darragh and Dave

Week 1 - Thank you!
Posted: Friday, 28 September, 2012 - 03:09

Hi everyone,

Darragh and I are now one week into our Sponsume crowdfunding campaign and we are most excitedly nearing our target! We would like to pass on our most warm and hearty thanks to all who have joined us on our APHASIA quest.

You can find our public thanks at the following link: http://aphasiaocallaghansudmalis.blogspot.com.au/p/supporters-partners-and-friends.html .  This is a page on our blog that is dedicated to thanking our supporters.  When the exhibition opens at the Australian Centre for Photography on December 1, we will have a beautifully produced floor brochure that will also thank our supporters.  We know some supporters have requested anonymity - we will be sure to honour this!

We are approaching our $2,000 target with still some time left in our campaign.  As we state in our video, anything raised that is over the $2,000 target will help us to tour the work in 2013.  Increasingly, the opportunity for touring APHASIA seems possible thanks to your support and faith in our work.

As we move ever closer to the opening of APHASIA, we are continuing to work hard on finalising the piece.  Don't forget that you can follow our progress, join in the discussion and get an insight into the 'whys and hows' of APHASIA at the blog: http://aphasiaocallaghansudmalis.blogspot.com.au/

Hope to catch you soon!

Darragh and Dave

A few days in - and a few big thank yous!
Posted: Sunday, 23 September, 2012 - 01:09

Greetings!

 

Darragh and I are a few days into the crowdfunding campaign/experiment and, thanks to your generous support, we are approaching 50% of our target.

I'd like to simply say thank you - for your support, generosity and faith.  

As promised, I will be starting on a supporters page on the blog this week.  Now, I can simply name names, or I can provide weblinks, or profiles or anything else you might like.  Let me know if there is something special you would like (a photo even...) and I will get it happening.

One supporter has expressly requested to remain anonymous, and another supporter has listed themselves as 'Anonymous' in their mailing address.

I shall respect your requests for anonymity in all areas (blog, FB, floor brochure) unless you state otherwise!

To all supporters, I will be in email contact this week to confirm a few details and, to once again, express our gratitude.

Lots of smiles,

Darragh and Dave

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AUD $2 555
128% raised of our AUD $2 000 goal
This project ended on Friday, Nov 2nd - 18:00

This project's deadline has now expired - you can no longer back these rewards

You cannot back this project, funding is now complete.

 

APHASIA - Reward Package 1

10.00 AUD or more : Your name in floor brochure, in a dedicated supporters section on our blogsite, and our most gracious thanks!

 

APHASIA - Reward Package 2

25.00 AUD or more : Your name in floor brochure, in a dedicated supporters section on our blogsite, and limited edition postcard signed by the artists (postcard edition of 250)

 

APHASIA - Reward Package 3

50.00 AUD or more : Reward Package 2 PLUS a limited edition CD of the original composed music and sound works of APHASIA with handmade, personalised packaging (edition of 50)

 

APHASIA - Reward Package 4

100.00 AUD or more : Reward Package 3 PLUS a limited edition, signed and editioned APHASIA A4-size lightjet photographic art print (edition of 40)

 

APHASIA - Reward Package 5

200.00 AUD or more : Reward Package 4, with the A4-size lightjet print replaced with a signed and editioned APHASIA A3-size lightjet photographic art print (edition of 20)

 

APHASIA - Reward Package 6

3,000.00 AUD or more : Yes don’t worry this is not a typo! In exchange for this special contribution you are buying in the installation to your gallery, home, function centre or workplace...let's talk!!!