For the schizophrenic, psychologists say, perception may only yield the voices, grunts and mutterings of a world that does not exist. Combine that disconnection from reality with the quiet peace of a guided meditation, and you get a rough idea of the sensations delivered by Words drawn in water, a new audio tour of select sites on the National Mall available at the Hirshhorn Museum through Oct. 30.
Before you write this off as one of those early-morning programs for tube-socked elderly tourists, however, realize that Jane Cardiff’s 33-minute narration is less of an audio guide to art in D.C. than an art object in its own right.
The solo tour, experienced on individual headsets provided free in exchange for a driver’s license at the Hirshhorn, starts out in the museum lobby and leads the listener through the adjacent sculpture garden along the mall, pauses briefly at the Smithsonian Castle, and ends in the Freer Gallery.
Along the way, Cardiff muses gracefully about the sights and sounds of the mall on a busy afternoon and offers insights and a bit of history about the monuments and art that one passes during the meandering tour. She imagines the scenes of the mall intersecting with the two themes of moving water and soldiers going off to war.
Cardiff’s voice is wonderfully melodic and soothing throughout, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit hypnotized as she commanded me to change direction and gaze at particular objects along the perfectly paced route. She describes minute details of the mall like park benches and passing joggers that make it feel like she’s standing right next to you. The headphones cut off the actual ambient sound, offering a fascinating if unnerving example of how easily our senses are manipulated by outside interference.
She tells us at one point that “sometimes I’m not sure what is real,” and then puts that thought to the test with fading sounds of laughter and voices that make it seem as if there is constantly a person right behind your back. At the very beginning of the tour, as you walk in the courtyard of the Hirshhorn, she plays sounds of laughter and tells you that people are watching you from the above windows. The delivery is perfect and so convincing that it forced me to stop the tape and take a quick glance upwards to be certain that it was not real.
Walking on the mall, however, Cardiff’s musings are less effective, as when she talks a little about the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, both of which are too far away to adequately appreciate.
Patience is called for briefly at one point near the Freer gallery as she gives dull directions that seem like a chore to complete. Luckily that tedium dissolves into wonder in the beautiful Peacock room of the Freer, where she finally says goodbye.
Instead of taking your headphones off as you leave the gallery for the walk back to the Hirshhorn, however, I suggest you leave them on, allowing the music to fade out quietly for several more minutes, so that this very original blend of reality and imagination can be made to last for several more blissful moments.
