OPUS MORS

O P U S M O R S

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

O P U S M O R T U R A R I U M
Two ambient recordings made inside two morgues listens within the deep tones from the facilities that keep the corpses cold

O P U S A U T O P S I A
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

O P U S C R E M A T I O
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

O P U S P U T E S C O
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

RECORDINGS OF

2 autopsies and 2 morgues were made possible with permission from
professor in forensic medicine at the University of Southern Denmark Peter Mygind Leth, deputy chief forensic pathologist Peter Thiis Knudsen and forensic technicians Tonny Hansen and Jan Leth
2 cremations were made with permission from crematory operators Michael Hansen and Ole Pedersen at Odense Crematorium, Denmark
2 decomposing bodies were made possible with permission from Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University, USA

Recorded, composed and mixed by Jacob Kirkegaard © 2019

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

SOUNDS OF DEATH by Tim Hinman / Third Ear, 2019
On Jacob Kirkegaard's Opus Mors project

Contact Jacob Kirkegaard for purchase or for questions