Gordon Monahan: Seeing Sound
Sound Art, Performance & Music 
1978-2011 

16 April - 12 June, 2011

When Gordon Monahan first moved to Toronto, he noticed cars driving, windows down, music blaring. He describes the auditory experience created by the movement and sound as, “luscious…a fleeting moment of wetness, of fluid music.”  Monahan’s Speaker Swinging performances from the 1980’s recreated that experience. In swinging the speakers attached to long cables, the sound moved in and out of proximity creating complex tones out of the simple sounds being broadcast. The result was the speaker became the instrument; the act of swinging a method of playing it. Though like any instrument, the improvisation of the performer and the acoustics of the venue also had impact on the resulting performance.  In this exhibition, four Ontario galleries have collaborated to present installations; Maclaren Art Centre, Barrie (26 February – 29 May), Doris McCarthy Gallery, Scarborough (2 March – 13 April), Blackwood Gallery, Mississauga (17 April – 22 May) and here at the RMG. Each present a unique selection from Monahan’s career, thus creating a retrospective exhibition.  In the RMG’s never before seen installation, A Piano Listening to Itself — Chopin Chord, a piano, long piano strings, various motors and speaker terminals are combined within the gallery to create an unusual visual and accoustic experience. Curated by Linda Jansma.

Additional galleries presenting works by Monahan:

Thames Art Gallery, Chatham-Kent, ON Sept. 16 - Oct. 16, 2011
Owens Art Gallery, Sackville, NB Oct. 29 - Dec. 11, 2011
Kenderdine Art Gallery, Saskatoon, SK May 25 - Sept. 22, 2012
singuhr - hoergalerie, Berlin, Germany  July 6 - Sept. 2, 2012
Tom Thomson Art Gallery Owen Sound, ON April 7 - May 26, 2013