Twenty-One Blank Words was a sound installation by Ian William Craig developed during his residency at Western Front. A grand piano, processors, and four reel-to-reel tape machines were installed in the centre of the Grand Luxe Hall, alongside speakers and microphones. Vocal and piano sound generated and manipulated by Craig was recorded on tape. This sound was fed back from the speakers through microphones and again through the tape, to generate new sounds that repeated the process, and made the piece self-perpetuating. This output was spatialized around the hall and publicly presented over twenty-one hours. Visitors were invited to walk around the space at various intervals over the twenty-one-hour period to experience the work in progress.
Ian William Craig, Twenty-One Blank Words (2021), photo documentation, Feb 26 – 28, 2021. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Ian William Craig, Twenty-One Blank Words (2021), photo documentation, Feb 26 – 28, 2021. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Ian William Craig, Twenty-One Blank Words (2021), photo documentation, Feb 26 – 28, 2021. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Ian William Craig, Twenty-One Blank Words (2021), photo documentation, Feb 26 – 28, 2021. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Ian William Craig, Twenty-One Blank Words (2021), photo documentation, Feb 26 – 28, 2021. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Ian William Craig, Twenty-One Blank Words (2021), photo documentation, Feb 26 – 28, 2021. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Ian William Craig, Twenty-One Blank Words (2021), photo documentation, Feb 26 – 28, 2021. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Ian William Craig, Twenty-One Blank Words (2021), photo documentation, Feb 26 – 28, 2021. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Ian William Craig, Twenty-One Blank Words (2021), photo documentation, Feb 26 – 28, 2021. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.