The Barnes Foundation is ready to unveil its latest art exhibit. From January 6th through February 19th, visitors are invited to immerse themselves in a sound installation by Philadelphia artist Andrea Hornick titled “Unbounded Histories”. The exhibit pairs several dozen original poems written by Hornick with specific works throughout The Barnes Foundation.

“Unbounded Histories” is The Barnes Foundation’s first “sound intervention” and will be presented in the Collection Gallery. According to Hornick, the poems were created by tapping into her inner psyche, encouraging the viewer to consider the paired works in a new way — perhaps as portals to the unconscious.

  Hornick’s meditative, trance-like poems accompany such prolific works such as Seurat’s “Models” and Van Gogh’s “The Postman”. Each poem was written as a response to how the subject matter at hand unconsciously affected her, harnessing an inner dialogue to shape an audible story around specific paintings.

  The collection took Hornick months to complete. She put herself in a “trance-like state in order to access the depths of her own psyche,” according to the Barnes Foundation website. She said the collection differs from others because the authorship of her work is that of the spiritual kind.

“The Barnes is one man’s collection, arranged intuitively by a man who intentionally didn’t want to be part of academic or accepted elements of collecting art; who questioned the traditional canon and its authority,” Hornick told The Inquirer. “He has his own authorship, the way it’s hung; the systematic ‘ensembles’ where you decide how to interact and approach the work. I do that, too,  layering stories upon stories that already exist — art history and the work’s relationship to each other that Barnes was suggesting — only I’m using a different authority, that of the shaman – for a new authority.”

  All recordings featured in “Unbounded Histories” can be streamed through a web-enabled phone. Headphones will be provided at the door and admission is included with a general ticket to the museum.

  Hornick will be at the Barnes on First Friday — the day the installation opens — to carry out a live performance promptly at 6:15PM.   

  The installation is included with regular museum admission and will remain open through Sunday, February 19. •