Author: Susan Philipsz invited by Sinisa Mitrovic
www.radiogallery.org

For her contribution to Radio Gallery, Susan Philipsz will revisit The Dead, a work she produced in 2000. Based on James Joyce’s eponymous 1914 story, reinterpreted by way of John Houston’s posthumously released 1987 film, Philipsz’s work touched upon themes of loss, retrieval and memory.

In Radio Gallery No. 9, widely relying on the talkshow format as one of the most pervasive forms of the radio broadcast, Philipsz has recorded a programme in which she tells the story of the ideas, circumstances and personal motivations behind the creation of The Dead. The programme draws on a variety of sources, including excerpts from the original recording, elements of Philipsz’s research archive, a reading from Joyce’s story, the sound of a film projector, and an especially performed version of the song from the ‘Sirens’ section of Ulysses set to the tune of ‘Salve Regina’.