The 7th Havana Bienal (Bienal de la Habana) took as its theme 'the complexities of communication in the 21st century'. 170 artists from 40 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the United States participated in venues throughout the city. A series of performances, workshops and symposia took place to complement the main exhibitions.

Susan Hiller was selected to represent Britain at that year's event, and presented Witness, a major sound installation at Salón Planta Alta de la Casona. A formation of hundreds of tiny audio speakers hanging in a darkened environment emit a chorus of murmuring voices, each recounting a sighting of a mysterious vision or inexplicable phenomenon. These stories were collected from across the world from internet sites, official reports and personal accounts, and were recorded in the original language of the witness.

In Witness Hiller continued her investigation into areas beyond the rational, using a rigorous system of classification to examine a disparate array of evidence. Over the past three decades her approach has included the use of sound and text works, sculpture and video imagery. Hiller has exhibited widely and been the subject of numerous publications.

Witness was commissioned by Artangel London in 2000 in collaboration with the British Council. It was first shown in Golbourne Chapel in West London and subsequently as part of the exhibition 'Intelligence' at Tate Britain.

Exhibition tour dates:

Salón Planta Alta de la Casona, Havana Bienal17 November - 31 December 2000