Starting in Jamaica in the 1950s, sound system culture has become a feature of artistic spaces
When visitors make their way into Peter Doig’s House of Music show at the Serpentine, they’re confronted with not one but two sound systems.
The north gallery sports a vintage Western Electric and Bell Labs system that was used in cinemas in the 1920s and 30s, while Doig’s own set of Klangfilm Euronor speakers (which he acquired from Kraftwerk’s Florian Schneider) also pump music into the space. Doig’s Maracas painting features towering speaker stacks.
“I was actually quite nervous,” says Doig. “Would people be sort of scratching their heads and saying ‘why do we need music to look at paintings?’.”
But Doig isn’t the only artist using high-end audio gear or sound systems in his work. His exhibition is part of a growing trend where artists are turning the gallery into a listening space.
