Oakville Gallery, Gairloch Gardens

After our trip to the Waterloo Gallery we hopped back on the bus and headed for the Oakville Art Gallery located in the Gairloch Gardens. The Gallery itself was under construction but the work of art that we were going to see was not located in the gallery.

Before we experienced the art work we headed down to the water for a class picnic.

Every year, from April to November, the gallery allows visitors to experience internationally acclaimed artist Janet Cardiff's audio walk A Large Slow River. To experience this piece you go into the gallery and get a pair of headphones and an ipod. You walk outside and are taken on a journey through the gardens by the artist herself (voice). You visit the places she did and experience the garden through a whole new perspective. Intertwined in the audio walk is also a story that adds mystery and interest to this experience; a feeling that you are searching for someone or something lost.

To experience this piece was a joy. It was so many things wrapped up in one. You were able to walk in the footsteps of the artist and hear her thoughts and listen to her story, while also experiencing the walk yourself. You heard the things she heard and felt the things she felt. The sounds played on the headphones were so real at times that you often jumped or found yourself turning your head quickly to discover there was no one there. This work of art was the ultimate mind and body experience.

 If you visit this site, it will allow you to listen to a little clip from the audio walk. But I urge everyone to go on the walk and experience the magic of it for yourself.
http://www.cardiffmiller.com/artworks/walks/largeslow_river.html

Here are some photos from the walk itself

 

 

 This is a short clip of the beginning of this wall. My head phones were on.