Experimentation in the midfield: a night with Sote
The gestures Arash Boulori, Pouya Damadi and Ata Ebtekar (alias Sote) use to communicate during their performance are similar to a format common in Persian music: question and answer, action and reaction, often based on improvisation. The three men on stage look at each other, nod and smile. Noisy samples drawn from studying the materiality of Persian instruments unify with harmonies, the combination of which sometimes eerie and obscure, other times much like familiar Persian music. An exciting dialogue evolves between Pouya’s tar, Arash’s santour and Ata’s laptop.
04 February 2020 |
AG 14
Persian Zoetropes: Rojin Sharafi
We first crossed paths when we invited her to take part in our first residency at KAVIR. She arrived from Vienna with a synthesizer she could barely carry by herself. A few hours later we are in my parents’ kitchen in Ghent, joining forces to make the best lentil rice we possibly could. We combine our mothers’ recipes and before we know it, the gate to shamelessly telling our family secrets has been opened. During her five day stay, Rojin worked with Épong as they put together a live show, while Jonathan, Pieter-Jan, Dietger, and I prepared the visuals for the event. After long days of working we ate, drank, and went for walks together in Ghent.
03 February 2020 |
AG 14