In meetings with ten elderly men from North Jutland (Denmark), Morten Poulsen recorded the men singing a song about love and longing. Through the singing voice’s ability to lower guards and create bonds, Morten invited the men to a dialogue about masculinity, emotions and expressions of vulnerability. In the installation, the voices are presented one by one, allowing us to hear the individual frailties of the voices.
“In August (2021) I was staying for a few days at Hanstholm Lighthouse. My mission was to find men who wanted to sing with me. One Sunday I sat down with a sound recorder at the round table in the lighthouse. Three old male friends came to record their vocals and although the mood was great, they were all quiet and listening while we sang one at a time. One late evening a man came to close down the lighthouse for the night and we stood in the hallway while he sang for me. Another man came to Hanstholm all the way from Thisted, which can be a long drive. His song was slow and beautiful. I told him that. Another man invited me home, and after we sang, he gave me a fresh cucumber from his garden.” – Morten
Excerpt from You Are My Sunshine
Thanks to the 10 men who contributed with their voices to this work.
Thanks to Hanstholm Lighthouse, Signe Højmark, Brian Hansen and Aalborg Bibliotek.
The project was supported by Aalborg Kommunes Kunstfond and Koda Kultur.
