January 16th – February 21st 2008
Opening January 15 17-20

Helene Nyborg Contemporary is happy to present Danish sound artist Jacob Kirkegaard’s first solo exhibition in Denmark. The exhibition “Motion…Matters” shows a series of three sound installations and a series of photographs from an expedition to the deserts of Oman.

Over the last years Jacob Kirkegaard has been the subject of an increasing international attention. Kirkegaard’s works often take their starting point in unhearable or secret sounds. The microscopic sounds of the workings of the inner ear or the resonance of the now empty spaces of Chernobyl are just two examples. Kirkegaard then transforms these sounds into installations, sound compositions and photographic works.

For “Motion… Matters” Kirkegaard created three sound pieces consisting of three polished metal plats (one copper, one brass and one iron plate), which as a cause of their own resonant qualities function like ‘soundmirrors’. Due to the differences in the metal's resonant qualities the three sound reflections differ from one to the other.

The duality between materials in motions and sound is also a factor in the series of photographs NAGARAS created during an expedition to the deserts of Oman in December 2008. The photographs portray the aural natural phenomenon known as “The Singing Sands” which can only be experienced in a very few places in the world. This special sound occurrence – described among others by Marco Polo – can arise when strong winds set the top sand of sand dunes in motion. The eight photographs show the momentary patterns in the movement of millions of sand grains in the process of emitting sound.

At the same time the works of Jacob Kirkegaard contain both science and poetry, and the works bring up references to the science of the Renaissance, seeking for hidden meanings and connections in all corners of the world. Like a scientist Jacob Kirkegaard conjures up worlds of sound that otherwise would lie beyond the limits of our ears – and eyes.

Jacob Kirkegaard (born 1975) holds a masters degree in media arts from The Academy of Media Art in Cologne and lives and works in Berlin. Recently he has exhibited at The Swiss Institute in New York and The National Center for Contemporary Art in Kaliningrad. His sound works have been performed in the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles, Casa de Musica in Porto and at ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art, Denmark.

The Exhibition is supported by the Danish Arts Council.