Suspect Device

PROJECT

sound installation, headphones, sound, variable dimensions, (2007)

CURATED

Katerina Koskina

LOCATION

National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens

DATE

Permanent collection

The work is displayed as part of the permanent exhibition at EMST

Since the 1980s Makis Faros has been working on aspects of a poetic dystopic future and a traumatic present through video, music, film, multimedia applications, and nstallations. The sound installation Suspect device, titled after a song by the punk band Stiff Little Fingers, was made in 2007 for the EMST exhibition “In present tense”. The work unfolds in a dark corridor with dozens of black headphones hanging down the ceiling in a dense formation. They emit the sounds of cries, blows, sobs, and groans aimed at creating a sinister, uncomfortable atmosphere while the experiential character of the installation is reinforced by the associative properties of sound. All this is inspired by the control tactics and strategies employed at correctional institutions, based on curbing self-esteem and establishing an atmosphere of fear. According to the artist, Suspect device is “a space of the sounds and voices of people who have suffered”.

Stamatis Schizakis, text from the permanent exhibition guide ENTER EMST: Collection & History, A short guide, 2020

Link: http://collection.emst.gr/en/artists/Φάρος-Μάκης/

Participating Artists

Makis Faros, founding member of TILT Platform, presents his audiovisual installation Suspect Device on the 2nd floor of the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens, as part of the museum’s permanent collection.