Janet Cardiff: The Missing Voice

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Janet Cardiff: The Missing Voice (Case Study B) Janet Cardiff’s The Missing Voice was an audio walk that began in the Whitechapel Gallery and ended in the Liverpool Street station. It was by far the most exquisite experience in my life especially because I have never heard anything like it before. Cardiff’s piece takes you into a narrative that shifts through time and space. Seductive and intimate, Cardiff’s audio walk was something psychologically absorbing and definitely made me feel as if I was going back in time and experiencing everything as it was. Starting at Whitechapel Gallery I was given an IPod and headphones. I was to leave the building and found myself transported in time. I felt so confused when hearing sounds that both sounded …show more content…

Who was this woman in the picture? I found her photograph in the tube station, beside one of those photo booths. A woman with long red hair starting out at me. I put it in my pocket, I don’t know why. This woman would constantly reappear during this walk. There were fragments of conversations and the noises of vehicles and wailing sirens. A parade passed through Brick Lane at one point while I was walking up it and it felt so real. A tour guide was overheard describing the history of the Jewish population in the area. At times there was a lifelike fade, at others a slow cut. The actual listening of the artist’s voice and footsteps made me aware of rhythm, pace and breath. It emphasized the idea of walking as an approach of capturing the city that is loud and filled with noise as well as visual. Cardiff mentioned herself that she sometimes feels invisible during her passage through the streets, as she remained solitary and largely avoids interaction with people around her. I listened to her words so clearly and it kind of made me think of myself because I am the same way. I feel as though I am invisible while walking through the streets because no one knows who I am and no one knows anything about me. So therefore in some way I am invisible. I definitely felt invisible when those words were whispered into my ears because everyone was going

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