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: