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In a claustrophobic space there are a chair, a table, a screen, and a telephone. The telephone rings. As soon as this is answered, the images appear on the monitor. Faces flicker up and disappear again into the darkness. The sound can only be heard through the telephone. We hear confused voices, confused sentences. A man's voice: ''I don't treat my wife well, I don't like that.'' Why does he say that on an anonymous confession line- Why doesn't he change his behaviour- Why doesn't he talk to his wife- A woman says that she is pregnant by her husband's best friend. Lots of problems. For six minutes we hear this litany flood over us. This installation was inspired by the 'telephone confessions' not yet known in Europe. The soundtrack of this installation consists entirely of conversations from a 'confession line' which Cohen recorded during the course of two years. It adds an extra dimension to the unique character of this installation. Not so much surrealistic as super realistic. The solitary nature is symbolised by the sinister, dark space. Despite all the modern technology that lets you see the world from your living room, people are living perhaps more than ever in total isolation. That is what Cohen seems to want to say. Hermits at the end of the twentieth century with telephone and TV to hand. It is like the story 'The imperial messenger' by Franz Kafka: man waits in isolation for good news, for a sign that his dreams and wishes have been listened to and that attention will be paid to his desires. But it is only illusion; the faces on the screen appear, disappear within tenths of a second. Gone, from the screen, from the mind. The installation is an example of a new trend: the public becomes an active part of the installation and is expected to play along, to participate. The telephone continues to ring until it is answered. One aspect is that the installation expresses the lack of personal contacts, or rather, perhaps, a human incapability of taking these on, but - hopeful - man appears to be looking for them. Although there is no-one to speak to, you still try to let somebody know of your sorrow, your loneliness and of what your feelings are via the 'confession line'. Cohen: ''This work is about the struggle to hear something in the dark''. An oppressive experience.
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Eric van ‘t Groenewout
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