Sinners

The sound of a heartbeat is heard and felt in Valeska Soares's installation Sinners. Seven prayer benches arranged one behind the other are bathed in an ethereal light that falls from a single overhead skylight. Cast into the soft, luminous wax of each bench is the hairy imprint of a pair of knees. Each impression bears witness to a previous supplicant. The proportions of the room and the subdued light evoke contemplation and meditation. As a viewer moves through the space and among the benches, motion detectors mounted in the ceiling relay information to a hidden computer. The motion is translated into a range of heartbeat patterns that are amplified and then heard through three wall-mounted speakers, which are obscured by diaphanous veils that also move subtly in response to the sound.
Text written by Curator Bruce W. Ferguson and Vincent J. Varga for the exhibition catalog.