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Sunkissed

An excerpt from the sonic landscape of "Sunkiss", a four-hour performance piece directed by Mylan Hoezen and composed by Bergur Anderson, presented at de Appel Amsterdam in 2021. The performance explores various expressions of slowness, conceived in response to a world that, following a brief pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, resumed moving forward at an accelerated pace. Across four sequences, performers Emirhakin, Negiste Yesside Johnson, Ratri Notosudirdjo, and Mylan Hoezen endure through slow motions, fully immersed in the present moment. Interacting with vocal sounds and objects made of glass, plaster, and latex, their bodies slowly shift in and out of synchronicity with their environment. This endurance gives rise to an emergent choreography that demands the same from its witnesses.

Listening to the recording, I feel a gentle tug in the pit of my stomach—a weightless, ethereal sensation akin to the moment of sudden descent. This visceral feeling is evoked by the use of a Shepard Tone—a superimposition of sine waves placed within one-octave distance. The hypnotic sound creates the auditory illusion of an endlessly upward spiraling scale; suspense spiraling into insatiable anticipation. The score aims to evoke the experience of proximity to the sun—a dual force that can be soothing one moment and hazardous the next, "Sunkiss" embodies this duality, where the sun's radiant energy sustains life's flourishing while also capable of devastating destruction. To be kissed by the sun signifies both blessing and curse, illuminating the fragile balance between vitality and peril that defines life on Earth.

Compared to the short lifespan of humans, the sun's endurance over billions of years appears eternal, yet it is finite, destined to exhaust its nuclear fuel and fade into cosmic obscurity Throughout history, humans have worshipped this celestial demiurge under many names—Utu, Helios, or Ra—simultaneously terrified by it and seeking to harness its power. Amidst late capitalism's pursuit to exploit the sun as an infinite energy resource, obscuring the ethical abyss opened by ruthless labor extraction, we confront the illusion of infinity. However, illusions do more than deceive; within the auditory illusion crafted by "Sunkiss" lies a revelation—a shift in perception that challenges what is taken for granted. This shift invites us to see the world anew, recognising that while nothing lasts forever, hope resides in life's endurance despite the inevitable fate of the universe.

Lijuan Klassen

Released
2024
Label
Futura Resistenza

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