Ceal Floyer Bucket, 1999

Bucket consists of an ordinary black plastic bucket that emits the irregular sound of dripping water landing in its base. The sound leaves the impression that the bucket is there to collect water drops leaking from the ceiling. Viewers’ gazes are irresistibly drawn to the ceiling of the hall, where it would be reasonable to suppose that the leak could be. Still, it becomes obvious that the sound comes from an MP3 player and a speaker, which are placed into the bucket and connected to a power socket by a white cable. The attention of the viewer is caught between two impressions. One takes a moment to contemplate upon the puzzling disparity between the visual and acoustic perception and arrive to a logical conclusion. Everything in the construction of the art piece is clear and visible, yet it works through the deceptive effect.