YveYANG is pleased to announce the opening of our new space at 12 Wooster St, New York, with an exhibition of David OReilly's video work, "Corona Voicemails." It is a series of animated films created by using voicemails, documenting the collective global trauma of the Coronavirus pandemic. It consists of four parts: Quarantine Dreams (2020), Staying Home (2020), Sudden Black Hole (2020), and The End of Stories (2021). In total, it is a one-hour-long film.

At the start of the pandemic, David OReilly set up a voice mailbox and posted its phone number on social media, where people could call to leave messages. People responded with lots of anonymous reflections about life in lockdown, whether their sorrows, observations, and dreams. OReilly sculpted these into collages that form the basis for short animations. The resulting films are a mesmerizing and unsettling journey that intertwines individual thoughts and subconscious fears – documenting and bringing to consciousness the collective global trauma that continues to influence our daily lives (The New Infinite). “Corona Voicemails” not only reflects upon the effects of “social distancing”, but also emphasizes a different form of togetherness, in which experiences and the changes in our daily lives are collectively shared.

The hypnotic images—constantly revolving cascades of patterns and objects—look like they are from some kind of digital kaleidoscope. OReilly created these beautiful and complex images using a self-developed visual synthesizer called EYE—he describes it as “an instrument designed to perform animation live.” OReilly used it to respond instantly to the voices of the speakers while they revealed their innermost feelings (IDFA). Each film is performed and captured in a single take, using no edits or post-production.

“Corona Voicemails”
2020-2021
4k videos at 60fps
edition: 6+2ap

Staying Home, 2020
12’08”

Sudden Black Hole, 2020
12’47”

Quarantine Dreams, 2020
11’08”

The End of Stories, 2021
14’20”