Anri Sala Body Double in the Doldrums, 2025

Body Double in the Doldrums is a sculptural work with an integral sound component, the piece consists of a snare drum with built-in speakers. The sound looped on these hidden speakers makes the drumhead vibrate. This vibration, in turn, sets the drumsticks that rest on the drum in motion.

The nine-minute soundtrack is suggestive of an earthquake, distant rumbles, winds and danger, lower frequencies of a wind instrument cross light higher screeches. The volume jumps suddenly, as if carried by air, or a rapidly nearing force. Hovering between lament and warning, the musical score is unsettling yet consoling, timeless while ancient, melancholic–and harmonic.