Shock + Awe 2006
electrified fencing, artificial ivy, sound composition
Year_06 Art Fair, Mary Ward House, London, England
SIMPARCH made a garden trellis using electrified cattle fencing to support the artificial English ivy they brought from the U.S.A [made in China]. The trellis took the shape of the B-2 “Spirit” bomber and defined a more intimate zone within the large courtyard of the Mary Ward House. A B-2 stealth aircraft is the latest remote deployment vehicle for dropping up to 40,000 pounds of weapons anywhere on the planet undetected. SIMPARCH’s spatial rendering of this ghostly and rather sinister form has been grounded and given a human touch -- harmless, save for a startling shock if one dared to come in contact with it.
The audio component of the work was created by Steve Rowell and utilized a Shepard Tone as the primary element of the composition. The Shepard Tone provides an ambient sound illusion of a continually falling pitch.
