clinamen
2013
Medium
porcelain, composition board, polyvinyl chloride, water pump, water heater, water
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased NGV Foundation in memory of Loti Smorgon AO, 2013
© Celeste Boursier-Mougenot/ADAGP, Paris. Licensed by Copyright Agency, Australia
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
Céleste Boursier-Mougenot is a French artist and composer who creates large-scale acoustic installations and environments which draw upon laws of nature and the rhythms of everyday life to produce new forms of art and music. In clinamen white porcelain bowls float on the surface of an intensely blue pool. Circulating gently, swept along by submarine currents, the floating crockery acts as a percussive instrument, creating a resonant, chiming acoustic soundscape marked by complexity, hidden patterns and chance compositions.
Encompassing sculptural, performative and avant-garde music traditions, Boursier-Mougenot’s installation promotes chance and indeterminacy in musical composition through the use of unorthodox musical instruments. In its unification of colour, sound and space, clinamen encourages a form of multisensory or ‘synaesthetic’ engagement, while also creating a social space for reflection and contemplation.
Artwork Details
Accession Number
2013.568
Department
Contemporary Art
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited