Untitled
2017
solar powered 2-channel sound (2 speakers, solar panel, amplifier and player). 30-min perpetual loop.
In this work, two musicians – a Bass Viol player and North Indian Classical vocalist – sustain a robust dialogue on home ground.
Experts in their own distinct musical fields, these musicians demonstrate how, in order to create something meaningful, they must listen to the other as much as they must sound or voice their own instruments. There are moments where we hear just the Viol, or just the Voice, and moments when the two come together in renewed ways. In doing so, the musicians reveal the subtleties and complexities involved in an exchange: how to listen, respond, how to listen-while-speaking, how to speak and listen simultaneously.
This musical performance presents and allegory of intercultural understanding, and strives, in the spirit of Edward Said’s thinking, toward a transformation from two unitary identities into identities that include the other without suppressing the differences.
Limited edition lathe cut recordings of this artwork are available here.
Heartfelt thanks to Balamohan Shingade and Robert Oliver for their generous performances and contributions to this work. This project was made with support from Sculpture on the Gulf.
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OLIVIA WEBB 