The artwork comprises three elements. The primary element is an audio composition that aims to expose issues and offer an eventual climax and resolve. Titled Sun System Radio, the audio composition is a fictional radio program modelled after popular Jamaican call-in radio shows. Referencing examples such as Bongo Jerry and Mutty Perkins, this fictional radio block is edited in a format that includes a collection of voices as a “call-in” segment which is fielded by a disc jockey. To achieve this, a street-sign campaign was erected on utility poles across Kingston with the headline “Why Are You Under Pressure?” The signs featured a number that commuters could call or Whatsapp to have their sources of pressure recorded. The recording also features an intentionally curated playlist of current music and relevant fictional advertising.

The audio composition is presented on the second element, a functional sound system tower (10 x 5.5 ft.), accompanied by the final element, a digital projection (8 x 10 ft.). The projection was created as a visual aid to illustrate the progression of the audio composition. It is pre-recorded and installed to work in tandem with the sound system to create an immersive experience that feeds the narration of the recording. The façade of the sound system tower reflects a top-down strata of compounding layers of pressure, much like the compounding of solar-driven convection currents and geological pressure. The piece aims to juxtapose the nature of pressure in the natural environment against the human condition.

The complete overview of Matthew McCarthy’s featured work can be found in the Kingston Biennial 2022: Pressure Catalogue, which is available for sale in the NGJ Gift Shop.