Geräuschkulisse
(background sound)
Paradoxically, Bärbel Praun's "background sound" deals with abandoned buildings. The helplessness that seizes the spectator observing these internal rooms is explained by the absence of reference points that would normally be distributed within the rooms, filling them with a purpose, life and sounds and thus attributing a specific function to each room.
In visual arts, a white wall is considered not an empty space, but a surface of projection, to capture reflections, ideas, memories... Starting from this principle, the conclusion is drawn that these empty rooms can be nothing but a neutral base for the sounds that reverberate against their walls like memories of the past or sounds that cannot be perceived otherwise, because they are drowned out by the usual background of daily life. All of a sudden, the squeaking of the dry old boards can be made out; the light breath of the wind escaping through the leaky cracks of the windows is suddenly clearly noticeable and the rough framework creaks like a song that sings of better days.
Annick Meyer
English translation by Claire Weyland