Voices rise and fall, picking their way through songs and wordless sounds. They break and bend, whisper and tremble. There are cries and ululations, gentle bluesy riffs, operatic moments and open-throated roars, as well as moments when singers are groping for a melody or discovering a new sound, filling the British Pavilion at Venice with a glorious cacophony.
Called Feeling Her Way, Sonia Boyce’s multilayered installation is a joyous, tremulous performance for a chorus of Black female voices (Jacqui Dankworth, Poppy Ajudha, Sofia Jernberg and Tanita Tikaram). Each singer is literally feeling her way through the music, guided by Belize-born British composer Errollyn Wallen. We must feel our way, too, through the space and dissonance, the different tempos and moods and the different characters, qualities and approaches of the musicians. Togetherness and apartness, soulfulness and drive – these are what guide them. Sometimes improvising for the first time, sometimes duetting or surprising themselves with some unbidden echo, the singers seem to be discovering as much as they are performing in their familiar ways.
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