Tacita Dean's 'Jukebox 1'

‘Jukebox 1’ demonstrates that it is often the aural, rather than the visual, that may serve as the most evocative of artistic media. The work is comprised of one large console, three CD changing mechanisms, four speakers and 192 CDs housing a collection of ambient sound collected from eight coastal cities around the world. Recorded during one 24-hour period, Jukebox 1 illustrates not only the artist’s fascination with sound, but also its potential for stirring the imagination of its listeners. This is a participatory work; the visitor may chose a location and an hour in order to imaginatively recreate a day in the life of Ajute Mill in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Dixie D’s Snack Bar in Hoonah, Alaska. Memory, duration, and curiosity all contribute to the power of this work. Just as in the days of radio, what we can’t see is often more suggestive than what we can.

Paula Carabell <itsmepcATyahoo.com>

‘Jukebox 1’, Tate Britain, 15 February - 6 May 2001