ARGOS!OOGGAAHHGGRRAAHHOOHSSS!

Since the 1970s composer, performer and visual artist Charlemagne Palestine has become known for his experimental, ritualistic music and for challenging Western audiences’ expectations of what is ‘beautiful’ and meaningful in music. His earliest works were compositions for carillon and electronic drones, and he is particularly known for his intensely performed and performative works. But Palestine is also known as an accomplished vocalist, singing long tones with gradually shifting vowels and overtones while moving through the performance space or performing repeated actions. For the exhibition, Palestine responded to the acoustics and architecture of the new Argos space during its renovation, taking advantage of the inherent echo of the space. The result is an impromptu bravura performance and sound piece bursting with ritualistic, primal energy and sheer visceral creative force. The work starts out with a minimal acoustic intervention and builds up to a powerful vocal primal crescendo which piercingly resonates within the bare walls of Argos’ space.

This work has been digitised in the frame of DCA Project