Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release
In Debussy’s Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un faune, velvety flutes warm the listener so very quietly at first, while bright harp strings interweave before being gently drawn towards the rounded, mellow tones of the oboe. Debussy was a master of timbre – the qualities of a musical tone that characterise different instruments. His orchestral compositions enhanced the inherent qualities of his chosen instruments, creating a perceptible structure and an experiential journey filled with emotive tonal colour. As such, ‘Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release’ takes its title from the attributes that characterise the concept of timbre’s “envelope”: The envelope encases the sound’s wave pattern and defines the overall structure of an instrument’s tonal quality.
In Monaghan’s exhibition objects replace musical instruments. Their form, colour and size fill out timbre’s envelope. Presented as a long, linear arrangement, the collection of sculptural components will be interpreted into sounds, like musical notation, each component contributing to the tonal quality of the soundscape by taking on the function of attack, decay, sustain and release. The intended result is to create an experiential journey that traverses across the visual, the audible and the spatial.
Rebecca Monaghan is a multi-disciplinary artist working within a diverse practice that employs sculpture, sound, animation and interactive video.
Monaghan is based in Melbourne and completed a Master of Contemporary Art at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2015. She holds a Bachelor degree majoring in philosophy and psychology and postgraduate qualifications in computer science.
Monaghan regularly exhibits in Melbourne. She has exhibited at numerous Melbourne project spaces and galleries, including C3 Contemporary Art Space, Footscray Community Arts Centre and George Paton Gallery. Her work is held in the collections of Deakin University, Epworth Medical Foundation and in numerous private collection
Exhibition details
Opening Wed July 19th – 6-9pm
continues to August 5th