Installation view at the Rubenstein Arts Centre, Duke University
A Maritime Haunting is a multi-channel, immersive sound installation that uses the voice to convey the ambiguous loss resulting from border policies in the Mediterranean Sea. Through speech and song, the piece incorporates sonic elements of the sea such as waves, tides, and surges, depicting the sea as a passageway, a grave, and, in the context of migration, a space of exception.
the performers vocally explore the experience of ambiguous loss related to lives lost during migration, assuming the role of an ancient Greek chorus to create a collective voice of mourning. They express an elegy for those lost and presumed dead at sea. Their voices merge and divide, experimenting with pitch, intonation, breath, pacing, and silence, transitioning from operatic singing to theatrical utterances to narrate the realities of this contemporary tragedy.
Ensemble:
Natasha Walfall
Shanna Iglesias
Allison Gish
Joy Tamayo
Sophie Delphis
Karina Parker-Mura
Choral Composition:
Samuel Lang Budin
Allison Gish
Joy Tamayo
Sophie Delphis
Karina Parker-Mura
Sound Design and Mixing:
Quentin Chiappetta
Commissioned by Duke Arts