NYAB Event - Paul Devens "Probe"

Paul Devens "Probe"

Diapason

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The new sound-installation by the Dutch artist Paul Devens will be site specific in many aspects for the exhibition space of Diapason. Devens’ work often involves manipulations, transformations and adaptations from the surrounding urban structure and its social fabric and from the architecture of the occurring space. PROBE almost literally researches the spatial and sonic qualities of the Diapason Gallery by placing a scaled-down stainless steel model of the space itself in it. A probe in the model follows a choreography through this miniature-gallery and is extrapolated to the real space where the movements are being translated in sound through the fixed multi-speaker system. In this process the space is appropriated as a musical instrument, controlled by its replica.

In his work, Paul Devens (Maastricht, 1965) manages various concepts of reality by adapting codes, formalities and identities and embedding these in a different ‘re-invented’ condition.

These adaptations often derive from aspects of an institutionalized society. This process of adapting and embedding is sublimated in different manifestations, such as time- and space related installations and minimal act, frequently with a performative quality.

The output consists of installations, with sonic and architectural elements, electro-acoustic performances and video screenings.

Esthetical features often embody technological phenomena by sound processing through computers, modular- and interactive software and homemade - and circuit bent instruments in combination with elaborated transformations of (sometimes existing) spaces.

The installations often study the correlation between architecture and time-based media, such as sound. The way in which spatial and sonic qualities oscillate with cultural pre-constructed conceptions, led to a selection of works like “Testing Ground” (Zaal België, Hasselt, 2006), “Pole” (Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, 2010) and “Panels” (NAiM / Bureau Europa, Maastricht, 2010).