In Aviarium the sound takes place in the audience’s imagination, in their reading of the waveform into the bird call. The physical structure of the work visually implies some sonic information—relative pitch, for example—but leaves out much, including tone and tempo. Adkins similarly allowed space for visitors to bring themselves to the work in Mute (2007, fig. 23), a video work featuring three soundless clips of jazz legend Bessie Smith from her only film, St. Louis Blues (1929). The imagery of her face, hands, and dress is deeply emotional, even as it is silent. The audience is asked to fill in the sound mentally, imaginatively. In a previous installation at the Syracuse University Art Galleries in 2008, Mute was presented as an interactive installation in which the audience could select different sounds to be played in the gallery. Mute seems to refer literally to the work, and also to the ways in which Smith was muted during her lifetime and in which her legacy continues to be silenced.