Review | By Frans de Waard / VITAL WEEKLY
Organic Volatilisation Near Imperceivable | Simon Whetham
On cassette, Whetham has documentation of work carried out at the OVNI, a creative space in Fribourg, Switzerland. Together with Milena Farioli, he did a project that explored the „sounds of various fermentations including red and white cabbage, green beans, ginger, courgette (a huge one donated to the project by the neighbouring florist), (non-lactose) kefir and mead“ and these fermentations he recorded. How is not mentioned, which is a pity. Also, fermenting vegetables isn’t easily found in my kitchen, but there is undoubtedly a fascinating element to giving this stuff and recording the sound – again, if only I knew how. The sounds were played back into the space, using speakers, but „also through the glass of the various jars used and also the plate glass window, as the project fermented inside the ‚jar‘ of OVNI, looked into by the passers-by each day“, which adds further to the fascination, at least on my side. Had I not known all of this, what would I have made of this cassette? It is tough to say, but a living organism (if that is what fermenting is; I am not a biologist) would not easily come to mind. […]