Laznia Centre for Contemporary Art

There is a time ball on the lighthouse in Nowy Port, Gdańsk. The first devise of that kind in the district dates back to 1876. Before the introduction of radio communication, time balls were an important optical signal for the sailors. They could calibrate their on-board chronometers and position their ships along the lines of longitude at sea. It is an ingenious system that works by the means of electromagnets and time signals.
A long history precedes the arrival of the time ball. Time Cabinet is a sound installation that evokes other worlds, ancient times, the vast sea and journeys of exploration by means of a paper map and a spherical magnet.

The basis of Els Viaene`s sound installations are the natural rhythms and textures of the sounds hidden in the aural landscapes around us.

Working on them for performances, sound compositions or installations, she enables the listeners to travel to imaginary and organic environments. Her sound installations create new spaces within the existing ones. She either emphasizes or makes the physical borders of that space disappear. In doing so she often plays with the

BIP

Municipal Institution of Culture