Susan PhilipszSongs Sung in the First Person on Themes of Longing, Sympathy and Release

An outdoor sound installation on the Floor 7 terrace: the artist’s unaccompanied voice singing pop songs through a single speaker.

Made in 2003 and shown here for the first time in the US, the work plays Susan Philipsz’s own untrained voice singing a cappella versions of songs by Teenage Fanclub, Soft Cell, The Smiths and Gram Parsons from one speaker.

Philipsz often draws on popular music for its power to stir emotion and shared memory. Heard against views of downtown San Francisco, the piece shifts with the surrounding architecture, light and city noise. It is in SFMOMA’s collection.

Full details at sfmoma.org