They Tell Us Not To Sing Our Song
You tell us not to sing our song is a sonic collage with an element of audience engagement through activation of a collective voice. The work evokes the power of celebration by honoring recent waves of anger and solidarity in response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Similar to my past work the title is a reference from music and takes inspiration from lyrics from the song “Drink Before the War” by Sinéad O'Connor. A song which was also written in 1987, the year of the first intifada in Palestine. The work begins with audience members collectively reading lyrics displayed on screen, layered with archival footage from 1987 intifada and continuous drone sounds, allowing for a reflection on global connectivity through the lens of Palestine. The video shuts off and the audience is fully immersed in a cinematic sonic experience which is an emotional journey through anger, sadness, solidarity, imagined liberation and hope.
The work has been presented at Foam Amsterdam, Framer Framed, Mosaic Rooms London, Public Functionary Minneapolis, NDSM Fuse, and Kunstlinie Almere
sonic collage / audience engagment
2023