"Harmonic Tremor"

Harmonic Tremor is Louise Despont's most recent exhibition. In it she explores the volcanic explosion on the island of Krakatou. This volcanic explosion, which happened in 1883, killed 36,000 people and created a sound the reverberated around the world. Despont was interested in the massive exhibit of sound. This is the basis of her piece.  

The Sound Heard Around the World, 2015, shown below, explores this idea of immense noise. Expanding out from the volcano are spiraling words. These words read: "the sound heard around the world" repeated over and over in decreasing size. The use of thin black wiggling lines work as sound waves poring from the volcano. Her use of color differentiates the smoke, green and red, from the white movement of noise. This pattern of smoke mixed with text showing sound, is repeated in this exhibit.

Small Explosion, 2015, shown below is an aerial view of the volcano. The use of depth, and the circular form works both to show the opening of the volcano and the sound exploding out from it. Again Despont uses text to show sound. 

Offering in Gratitude, 2015, juxtaposes with the rest of the exhibit by showing a peaceful calming scene. This work breaks from the volcanic style of the other pieces. Leafs and floral images are repeated without this work, showing life and color. The title of this piece suggests that there is something to be grateful for. When displayed with the works of destruction and noise, the offers a calm break. It also reminds the viewer of life and gratitude. With in Asia culture, where this explosion took place --and an area that Despont is very interested in, gratitude is offered to all live and, especially, monks. This is because Buddhism and Hinduism offer the idea of reincarnation and fate. What happens has a purpose and people accept life.  

Below is the final piece in the exhibit titled, The End of Love, 2015. It is a somber piece depicting an areal view of Indonesia, which is labeled lightly in white. This area was covered in black ash so think it blocked the sun, for three days. The End of Love acknowledges the death and sad elements of this event, while the other show the amazing feats of nature. 

One can also view this exhibit as classifying her as a contemporary artist. She using her art to capture massive historical events. That is also exploring the massive affects of nature. This exhibit also shows how Despont explores history and documents it into her work, creating an exploration of culture and history. Her fascination with travel is rooted in the cultural significance of the places she visits. This is seen through her art, a physical history of location and culture. 

Raaberg, Gwen. “Beyond Fragmentation: Collage as Feminist Strategy in the Arts.”Mosaic : A Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature (1998): n. pag. ProQuest. Web. 28 May 2015.

Despont, Louise. “Drawings.” RSS. N.p., 2011. Web. 28 May 2015.

Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art: A Sourcebook of Artists' Writings. Berkeley: U of California, 1996. Print.