Being hugely impressed with the exquisite "Weatherbox" set designed by Russell Mills, Sylvian eagerly accepted his suggestion to create an installation based on a subtle interaction between light, sculpture and music. Aiming to celebrate memory in its multiple forms the work entitled "Ember Glance: A Permanence Of Memory" premiered in September 1990. Judging by a 100-page book included in a limited edition box set that followed the exhibition (as magnificent as the aforementioned "Weatherbox" release and with only 20.000 copies ever made equally rare) it must have had great impact on its audience. On entering the gallery, viewers encountered Russell's sculptures suspended from the high gallery ceiling, divided by semi-transparent veils and alluding to notions of reflection (the mirror), historical memory (5 lightboxes), and personal memories (24 boxes the quality of which lies in the artist's uncommon technique of compiling miscellaneous objects into intriguing and inspired collages). Moving further on and passing under an illuminated golden cloud hanging overhead, the visitors reached an enormous curved wall with an irregular and rusty surface. Through the wall's vertical apertures the audience could see a mysterious well or memory pool; the source of an energy that seemed to ooze from its depth and ebb beyond the gallery walls along with people moving slowly towards the exit. What the book obviously fails to communicate is the exceptional atmosphere that the exhibition must have evoked (certainly a key factor behind its success). It has to be pointed out, though, that the box set attempts at capturing that feeling. By pulling a thin red stripe, one can detach an equally thin cardboard sleeve nestled snugly in the rear wall of the box to find a CD containing Sylvian's soundtrack for the installation - two sonic watercolours slightly augmented with oriental hues. "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" and "Epiphany" clearly stem from David's collaborations with Holger Czukay - a path within his work that in few years evolved beautifully into a similar collaboration with Robert Fripp in 1994 on "Approaching Silence". P.S. The photos used were taken from Russell Mills' official website. The book accompanying "Ember Glance..." has binding so delicate that you cannot really go through its pages without your heart stirring, not to mention trying to scan it :) [  back to the top