Haroon Mirza is a noted visual artist who wants us to listen, to train our ears on the incidental sounds that surround us, and to connect sound to the objects that create it. In his work Mirza explores and attempts to restore the relationships humans have with sound that occur through objects, actions, and forces, relationships largely screened behind the black boxes of electronic keyboards, digital music players, TV monitors, and the bits of information they play. In experiencing his work, we the audience are placed in an in-between position, vacillating between isolating the part and apprehending the whole. The installation itself performs for us as an "unfolding composition in time," and we the audience unfold too, though our acts of looking, listening, seeing, and hearing. His installations-which could also be considered unique time-based concerts-have captured the attention of the public and critics alike; he was awarded the prestigious Northern Art Prize in 2010 (he lives in Sheffield, England as well as London), and his work for the 2011 Venice Biennale garnered the Silver Lion Award as the most promising young artist. This exhibition, guest curated by Elizabeth Thomas, is Haroon Mirza's first solo museum exhibition in the United States.

This exhibition is made possible in part by the University of Michigan Office of the Provost, the Susan and Richard Gutow Fund, and the CEW Frances and Sydney Lewis Visiting Leaders Fund.