Listening to the Echoes of the South Atlantic Listening to the Echoes of the South Atlantic | Page 14

music. Beyond the insistent bass and rebel-with-a-cause lyrics, the sociopolitical
relevance of funk carioca is crucial to understanding Bomfim’s work. Baile funk, the
parties and discos where the music is played, is banned by the municipality of Rio
under the claim that funk carioca is an ode to violence. Although drugs and violence
are frequently addressed in the lyrics, more importantly, the music conveys the
hardships of life in the favela. Those who care enough to listen understand that funk
carioca is, in fact, a strong statement of Afro-Brazilian identity, and a powerful, and
necessary expression of empowerment for youth in the favelas.
Camille Norment’s haptic sound installation Prime transports us back to the spiritual
realm. The work envelops the audience in a soundscape that connects countries and
cultures beyond the South Atlantic. First featured in the Kochi-Muziris Biennial
in 2016, the work has since been installed in various other locations. Each new
site involves specific visual connectors, which have a direct impact on the overall
experience, such as how the work relates to a view of the sea or a busy pedestrian
street. As an artist with a keen understanding of Gaston Bachelard’s seminal research
about the poetics of space and, in particular, the significance of architectural versus
existential space, the placement of her work in a 17th century ballroom is quite
relevant, particularly since the windows diffuse the view to the outside, thereby
suspending a clear sense of time and space.
Once again, the inexorable connections between past and present, history and
contemporaneity are powerfully conveyed both sonically and aesthetically. Five
handcrafted benches occupy the space and are exactly positioned to ensure that
viewers experience the work from a very specific visual and spatial perspective.
Situated in front of antique lead glass windows, which provide an abstracted view of
the outside, the site-specificity adds additional layers of meaning to what was already
an astounding work. And yet, Prime situates us in a sonic space that is difficult to
pinpoint culturally or historically. Most importantly, the work emphasizes the shared
vibrational expressions of the voice, also understood as a powerful representation of
the body, across cultures and histories.
Cássio Bomfim Salve Exu Motoboy.
Highly contemplative, Prime is also a meditation. Camille Norment’s description of
the installation evokes a clear sense of a deeply experiential work that invites viewers
not only to look and listen, but also to feel the power of music: