Opus Mors
Opus Mors offers four listening spaces for one of the existential and natural aspects of being alive, which is death. The project portrays four sound environments that the human body commonly will be surrounded by or exposed to in the immediate post mortem: a morgue, an autopsy, a cremation and the decomposition - events that no one will ever get to sense on their own bodies because of the very fact of death. The work is an immersive, intimate and powerfully detailed sonic meditation into the four significant death spaces.
Opus Morturarium: Two ambient recordings made inside two morgues listens within the deep tones from the facilities that keep the corpses cold.
Opus Autopsia: Detailed near-field sound recordings of a full autopsy starting with opening the corpse, following the removal and slicing and cutting open all the organs and brain, to finally returning all the organs, closing and washing the corpse. This work demonstrates each unique sonic timbre of the human organs.
Opus Crematio: Coffin being rolled into the oven, the oven's different burning stages, the removal and relocation of the ashes to the ash cooler and then to the bone crusher. Finally, the ashes being poured into the urn. Vibration sensors placed on the surfaces of the oven reveals the sound environment of the oven as if heard from the inside.
Opus Putesco: Sound recordings made at a forensic study facility where donated corpses are placed in an enclosed nature area to decompose while being studied. This work was made from near-field sound recordings of decomposing corpses recorded with measurement microphones placed 1 cm above - as well as with vibration sensors inside the corpses.
Recorded, composed and mixed by Jacob Kirkegaard © 2019Listen to 4 excerpts here. The full work has been released on vinyl LP. Find it in the Releases section.
Watch: Jacob Kirkegaard talks about Opus Mors (LOUSIANA CHANNEL)Opus Mors - Vinyl album release
OPUS MORS is also released as an exclusive deluxe release of 4 LP set in 180g black vinyl. Packaged in archival handmade box, bound in linen and embossed, including five unique prints on Tyvek paper. Signed and numbered limited edition of 250. TOPOS 04 © 2019. For purchase, please contact the artist.











Opus Mors - Installation
OPUS MORS was part of Jacob Kirkegaard's solo exhibition Mellem Rum at Museum Sønderjylland, Tønder, Denmark in 2020:











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