Rene Barge and Gustavo Matamoros: Two Chambers Divided by an Opening

“…we don’t know each other, but we talk together and we understand each other perfectly.  The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me.  And the difference between me and my government is much bigger than the difference between me and you.  And our governments are very much the same.” – Marjane Satrapi in an interview with Michelle Goldberg

on the notion that sounds tend to get along, rene barge and gustavo matamoros individually explore the inherent acoustical characteristics of two specific physical locations from within the totality of the dorsch gallery space, creating a complex sound environment that at times is seemingly tangent, at others overlapping, and at others compound.  Listening to sounds in the space allows the listener to explore the context along with the sounds thus becoming as active a participant as the makers or creators of the work.

my aural sense is the faculty by which I obtain the most inquisitive information about the physical world.  it is the mode from which my most curious feeling is derived.  it is where I find a pleasingly clear ability to perceive and be motivated.  -rene barge

For over 20 years I have been experimenting with sound and its ability to contain and deliver information about its origins and its surroundings.  The intent has been for the result of this experiments to ultimately influence the way I live.  In this context sound is a tool for understanding the world.  -gustavo matamoros

“During their collaboration, Two Chambers Divided by an Opening, Matamoros had one space and Barge had another. In each space sixteen speaker chambers were divided by the opening of the space they occupied. The space sonically divided and sub-divided ad infinitum as the speakers propagated resonant frequencies, tuning into and out of the space.”