Arianrhod (1982)

Ti­tle of the album: Arianrhod
Ti­tle: - (Track 02)
Publisher: Edition Dietmar Schneider, Köln
Da­te: 1982
Me­di­um: object + audio cassette in box
Edition: 15 n. & s.

Ulrike Rosenbach's sound work Arianrhod dates from 1982 and is part of a multiple that includes a round slate, a photograph and an audio cassette in a wooden box. The cassette contains two pieces lasting about half an hour, the second of which, available here, contains a rhythmic tapping that lasts for the entire duration, reaching its only climax in the very last sound. This last sound is the falling of an object. This last moment sheds an illuminating light on the steady knocking that was heard for almost half an hour and finally poses the question of the meaning of the monotonous excess. Was something here worked on until it fell down? Do the noises have any direct connection, or is it the compositional conclusion of a tonal noise sequence?

Rosenbach repeatedly refers to themes of ancient, pagan and Far Eastern mythologies in her artistic work, including this one. She goes to places with mythological significance and draws thoughts, stories and connections from them.

The title of the record points to mythology. Arianrhod is the name of a goddess in the Celtic mythology of Wales. This goddess is considered to be the goddess of fate, the moon and the weaver and stands as the archetype of Celtic femininity. The sounds of the pieces on Rosenbach's Arianrhod are those of hard, physical labour and can thus reflect the situation of the gods, whose traditional existence was marked by fate, oppression, power and inhospitality.

PS