Germaine Koh
Crowd Shyness: the sound of its making, 2020
hollowed cedar stump, drum head, hardware, resin
Commissioned by the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery
Collection of the artist
On rainy days, set it outside to receive the rain.
Play along if you wish, letting the rain take the lead.
Germaine Koh’s drum is made from one of the cedar tree stumps she first brought to site for use as physical distancing stations. She worked with Belkin staff during Summer 2020 to develop COVID-19 safety and visitor interaction protocols that recognized the importance of collective care and teamwork. That work was guided by the metaphor of crown shyness, the phenomenon in which trees grow with distinct space between themselves, to avoid spreading pests and damaging each other. In the context of COVID, the human equivalent is “crowd shyness” — keeping one’s distance as a form of conscious citizenship. Koh has now adapted one of those stumps to give it voice, by hollowing it and fitting it with a drum head that will sound when it is left out in the rain.
Germaine Koh’s work is part of Soundings: An Exhibition in Five Parts at the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery (September 8-December 6, 2020).
Photos: Rachel Topham Photography
Videos: Germaine Koh
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