Save Our Souls is an air-horn used to warn people around a construction site of a forthcoming dynamite blast. Part of an outdoor group show, TOUT SE CONFOND, APPARAÎT, PUIS S'EFFACE DE NOUVEAU, on the Fonderie Darling’s Place Publique.
The reciprocity between the interior and exterior spaces of the studio and Place Publique is the starting point of several site-specific works of this project. Philippe Battikha extends the perimeter of the exhibition to the neighbouring streets by singling out a sound occasionally heard in Montreal, namely the whistle blast used to signal dynamite blasting. An air horn is concealed on the roof of Fonderie Darling, and the blaring sound of this device is modified to emit a warning signal in Morse code. Activated at irregular intervals, Save Our Souls creates a rupture in the urban soundscape with a gently ironic and subtly humorous gesture. Sending out the distress signal echoes the real sense of powerlessness felt by the Fonderie Darling community: How can the presence of art, artists, and cultural workers be assured in a neighbourhood beset by rampant real estate speculation? Just how long can the body tolerate to live in the middle of a perpetual construction site, surrounded by loud noises, vibrations, and debris? - Milly-Alexandra Dery
Fonderie Darling - Place Publique
Photos/video by Simon Belleau
2021