‘In the Dark: Perspectives’ brings light to human experience at ICA First Friday

Maeve Bauer, Spectrum Editor

Lived experiences are different for everyone, causing different perspectives on sound, light and art. VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art embodied those differences on Friday with its latest exhibition. 

“In the Dark Presents: Perspectives” was a part of the podcast festival, Resonate, that took place on Nov. 3 and 4. Podcasters and radio hosts from across the commonwealth gathered to celebrate the art of audio — filled with workshops, performances and exhibitions. 

Sounds ranged from spoken word and clips from songs and podcasts to sounds of our everyday life. ICA’s website described the event as a series of live audio performances aimed to reveal how memory, identity and imagination all shape our experiences. 

“A hospital room becomes a zoo, pest control becomes political, a list of questions becomes a form of socio-political domination, all depending on perspective,” the website states.

“In the Dark” is a project that started in London 15 years ago by artist Nina Garthwaite. It was created to give people a chance to enjoy sound works as the art form is often overlooked, according to Talia Augustidis, a curator at “In the Dark.”

“[Garthwaite] created it because she felt like people were not able to discover interesting sound work and were complaining that there isn’t creative stuff out there, but she knew it was out there. It just was hard to find,” Augustidis said. “She would invite audio makers that she admired and was inspired by to play books from people that they admired.” 

To Augustidis, audio works sit in a place between art and journalism. In a time where both mediums are under attack, the combination offers an opportunity for people to expand their works and feel less restricted in their titles, she said. 

“I think both journalism, especially now, especially in the U.S., when the media is being dismantled and the right kind of free press, like all of these things are in danger, like journalism right now is more important than ever,” Augustidis said. 

Augustidis got involved with ICA after hosting an “In the Dark” event in New York, where she met Chioke I’Anson, ICA’s director of Community Media, who asked if Augustidis would be interested in hosting something in Richmond. 

The project started out with only featuring audio works, but as time went on, they started to incorporate other mediums. The sound remained the star of the show. Artists at the Richmond show ranged from puppeteers to acrobats.

“I do definitely feel like Richmond has an artistic spirit that is so much greater than the size of the place,” Augustidis said. “I come from London, which is obviously a huge cultural city, and we have a lot of art and culture and yet this place is so much smaller but feels like it has a lot going on. It has a real heartbeat of art and I really appreciate that coming in.”