Crystalline I, II and III (1997)

Crystalline was a sound performance in which I wore a pair of vibrating stiletto shoes with motors inserted in their heels. The shoes became instruments which I played by placing them in contact with a range of surfaces. In doing so, I created a series of sound pieces: Crystalline I, II and III. 

Crystalline I

In the first version, Crystalline I, I lay on the street resting the shoes against a window with a contact microphone stuck to it. The drone sounds produced by my feet on the window were relayed into the gallery and amplified. I monitored the sound being played inside the gallery through a pair of headphones as I lay on the pavement. 

Crystalline II

Crystalline II was performed by standing on a variety of amplified tables. In the second version of the work I vigorously moved my upper body and shook and rotated my arms to shift my weight. This changed the sound being channeled through my static feet. One of the most memorable performances of Crystalline II was at Strike, a space on Fashion Street in East London run by Siraj Izhar. I spent half the performance bent over touching my toes, with my back to the audience. I held this position for a long time, which caused my legs to shake involuntarily.  The blended soundscape of drones and reflexive tapping was sampled by Kaffe Matthews and featured on our collaborative CD, Pointy Stunt (Audioview, 2000).  In the adjacent image, artist Naomi Siderfin from Beaconsfield Gallery gilds my shoes as I perform Crystalline II on a bandstand in Helsinki. 

Crystalline III

 Crystalline III, the final version of this work, was performed in the dark on a swing. The first sound the audience heard was whirring as I swung back and forth while wearing the shoes.  Once attention had settled, I gently placed my feet on the amplified surface (sometimes this was a table, sometimes a box, sometimes a piece of wood on the floor - whatever was to hand.) Crystalline III allowed me to lightly touch an amplified surface with the shoes and control volume through the pressure of my feet while suspended above it. 

 Crystalline II and III were often performed in tandem with the work Hook and Eye.  

CRYSTALLINE

(Performed initially as one performance in a series of performances over 8 hours, Norwich Art Gallery, Norwich 1997)

COMPONENTS

1 X pair of shoes with motors inserted in heel
1 X pair of headphones
1 X contact mike
1 X large window

PERFORMANCE

Lie outside on floor with feet resting on window pane. One contact mike located in the centre of the window. Shoes vibrate against glass, movements slight and sometimes imperceptible, changes in pressure and position of feet change pitch and tone. Sound monitored by headphones.

Hayley Newman 1997