Elevator Music 4: Julianne Swartz

Installation view, Elevator Music 4: Julianne Swartz, Tang Teaching Museum, 2005

Julianne Swartz borrowed the vibrant music of rock and folk performers of the late 1960s and early 1970s for her original sound installation. Composed during a tumultuous time in American history, troubled by the Vietnam War and the fight for civil rights, all the songs Swartz selected communicate a message of idealistic protest in the face of war and injustice. This mood of impassioned opposition and determined optimism fascinates Swartz, who parallels this historical moment of thirty years ago with America’s current political climate.

Replacing the original vocals of each song with computer-generated voices, Swartz neutralized these lively and expressive tunes with emotionless voiceovers. As a result of her manipulations, Swartz rendered these once-poignant anthems into “elevator music”—bland, atmospheric décor meant to distract and pacify rather then stimulate and rally. With these sanitized elegies, Swartz reflects upon faded ideals and abandoned utopias.

This exhibition is organized by Gretchen Wagner, former Tang Curatorial Assistant, in collaboration with the artist.

Exhibition Name

Elevator Music 4: Julianne Swartz

Exhibition Type

Solo Exhibitions

Elevator Music Series

Place

Elevator

Dates

Feb 5, 2005 - Jun 5, 2005

Curators