My favorite exhibit of the Arsenale, "The Forty Part Motet," is quite arguably the least architectural. Artist Janet Cardiff placed 40 speakers strategically around the space in an oval, with each speaker broadcasting the voice of one chorus member. I slowly walked the perimeter of the oval, trying to pluck out each individual voice at a time—which became very intricate because melodies and echos often jumped from one individual to another. But when standing in the center, one can hear the entire beautiful—even sculptural—chorale by the Renaissance composer Thomas Tallis, coming together all at once. Photo 17 of 17 in Venice Biennale: Arsenale by Tiffany Chu

Venice Biennale: Arsenale

17 of 17

My favorite exhibit of the Arsenale, "The Forty Part Motet," is quite arguably the least architectural. Artist Janet Cardiff placed 40 speakers strategically around the space in an oval, with each speaker broadcasting the voice of one chorus member. I slowly walked the perimeter of the oval, trying to pluck out each individual voice at a time—which became very intricate because melodies and echos often jumped from one individual to another. But when standing in the center, one can hear the entire beautiful—even sculptural—chorale by the Renaissance composer Thomas Tallis, coming together all at once.