The National Gallery has re-installed Forty-Part Motet, the sound work by Janet Cardiff that is one of the very best things in the Gallery’s permanent collection.
Forty-Part Motet consists of 40-plus voices, each singing its own part of the 16th-century choral piece Spem in Alium, by Thomas Tallis, and each heard through its own speaker. The 40 speakers are arranged around the restored, ornate chapel, so how the music sounds depends on where you’re standing in the chapel. Move, and the music moves with you. It is a transcendent experience.
WATCH THE VIDEO! It is truly a lovely experience and, if you are in Ottawa, don’t miss it!