John Cale was invited to represent Wales initially on the basis of making an audio installation. He responded by wanting to make a film of a series of physical and audio performances both of and in Wales. Travelling from his home town of Garnant to the slate quarries of Llanberis, the resulting five screen, six channel audio installation is a self portrait and a portrait of a place defined first and foremost by its language. We must question whether there is such a thing as a specific visual identity of a country. However there is no doubt that Wales has at heart a culture defined by language and the language of poetry.

Titled ‘Dyddiau Du (Dark Days)’, Cale’s work for the Biennale contains spoken word poetry, song and, crucially, silence. John Cale ‘Live’ acknowledges what he is known and celebrated for, including recordings of a traditional Welsh choir, a school orchestra’s drone and tracks made in Cale’s home town of Los Angeles.

At close to fifty minutes long, it also encapsulates the idea of duration that he has sustained in his practice over the last forty years – he famously said that he could hold a note for over three hours. The work most certainly rewards the viewer with a strong sense of resolution.

The audio elements are gathered around strong visuals that make up the four ‘performances’ or aphorisms: Cale at the piano in a church vestry in Ammanford in the first track ‘Send Me Away’; climbing the steps of Dinorwic Quarry, Llanberis for ‘Dreaming in Vertigo – the inside out heart’; the rising of dawn in his old house in the third ‘performance’ titled ‘Maes Y Wern’, and the gruelling finale of Cale being water-boarded in ‘The Making of Un-Pretty’, accompanied by the sounds of choirs singing the Welsh and English national anthems.

Dyddiau Du/Dark Days will continue until November 22nd 2009.

Venue: Ex Birreria, Giudecca 800/o

Vaporetto: Palanca

Opening Times: Tuesday to Sunday, 11am - 7pm (from October 6th 12pm - 6pm)

Closed Mondays

Screenings are on the hour every hour. The piece is 46 minutes in duration