The Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art (MIMOCA) is pleased to present The Forty Part Motet (2001), a sound installation by Canada-based artist Janet Cardiff (b. 1957). 

One of Cardiff’s most celebrated works, it was first presented at the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa) in 2001, where it received the Millennium Prize, and has since been exhibited at approximately 60 venues worldwide. The work is based on Spem in Alium (commonly known as The Forty Part Motet) by 16th-century English composer Thomas Tallis. The 59 voices, in five parts (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass), are played back in separate channels through 40 speakers arranged in an ellipse. The result is an immersive experience that makes listeners feel as if they are standing among the singers, as layers of sound unfold through the space like a sonic sculpture. 

MIMOCA was designed by Yoshio Taniguchi, renowned as the architect of many museums, and opened in 1991. One of the first museums in Japan to incorporate natural light into bright, open exhibition spaces, it takes full advantage of this architectural feature in presenting the work. The installation will be shown in the museum’s largest gallery, a spacious room with a seven-meter ceiling, where visitors can move freely and fully experience the work’s all-enveloping sound. 

Following its presentation at Hara Museum ARC, this year The Forty Part Motet has toured the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, and the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum. The exhibition at MIMOCA will be the final chance to experience this work in Japan. Visitors are invited to enjoy the dialogue between the museum’s unique architectural space and the breathtaking expanse of sound produced by Janet Cardiff’s landmark work.