"Words Drawn in Water" audio walk Janet Cardiff Hirshhorn Musuem Wednesdays to Sundays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Through Oct. 30 A-
Hop on the AU shuttle to Tenleytown. Take the Metro to the Smithsonian stop. Walk toward the Capitol until arriving at the Hirshhorn Gallery. Pass through the door and walk five steps to a tiny booth. Here begins a unique art experience.
These directions are similar to those offered by artist Janet Cardiff in her new audio walking tour, "Words Drawn in Water," currently featured at the Hirshhorn Museum. Visitors receive an iPod shuffle with headphones and are instructed to follow a walking itinerary established and narrated by the artist.
Conceived by Cardiff, this innovative audio art form features a m?lange of sound effects including the artist's contemplations on life, audio interviews, music and amplified background noise plucked from the surrounding environment. The audience is drawn into a surreal world of confusion because one is often unable to distinguish the real sounds from those of the audio track.
The tour begins on a black bench in the courtyard of the Hirshhorn, where one waits in silence, gazing at the fountain, while the rich timbre of a male voice sings "Ol'Man River." The music fades into the voice of the artist, who begins by discussing the art of James Whistler and the memories of her childhood. She contemplates how "a molecule in the river back then could be in the fountain now" and that "next year the same molecule could be in an apple we eat." This introduces Cardiff's themes of continuity and connectivity, which she seeks to further develop during the 33-minute walk.
Cardiff's contemplative voice becomes authoritative as she instructs the listener to get up and exit into the courtyard. From this point on, Cardiff will dictate directions on where to walk, turn and stop. There is an allure and mystery in being led in this manner. The listener is told to follow but has little idea where the path will lead.
Cardiff's monotone delivery relaxes the listener and puts him or her under a spell. Unfortunately, this meditative spell is broken when the artist is forced to interrupt the dialogue to give mundane and obvious directions to stop at the crosswalk until cars let you walk pass or to allow the security officers to check your bag. This is an obvious downside and limitation to structuring a piece around a metropolitan environment.
The tour's strength is Cardiff's skill at fusing historical audio recordings with interviews she recorded with Washingtonians who witnessed these events. During the walk down the National Mall, the audio track reminds the listener of the historical events that took place here such as Vietnam War protests and the People's March with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as more recent events such as protests against the Iraq War. Cardiff's dialogue offers continuity between past and present.
Another strength is the quality of the music and sound effects, which often are so rich and realistic that the listener is unable to identify whether the source is inside or outside the audio track. Cardiff tosses in some prophecies during the walk, mentioning that a jogger is going by you or a family with strollers is passing. These are hit or miss. If these prophecies are fulfilled the listener is astonished, but disappointment follows if they are not.
Unfortunately, Cardiff weakens the dialogue when she moves from the concrete to the philosophical and contemplative. Her muses are dull and they fail to reflect the actual thoughts of her audience so they lose their resonance with the listener.
"Words Drawn in Water" is a novelty well worth the visit despite its occasional weaknesses. This walking word art is a unique way to re-visit a familiar landscape and to remind AU students why they came to D.C. - to be where history happened, and where the future is still always materializing.
