Black Case Volume III after Joseph Jarman (2022)

single channel video 41 min 36 sec
incantation by Swan Nemesis
soundscape by Nina Radio Tapes + Ice Cream Mafia,

installation with soundscape, self adhesive stickers, wooden chairs, printed text on red vinyl, 40m2 fresh turf, 14 photo portraits, 14 picture frames, 14 paper garlands, 120 tea lights, 3 straw mats, portable laser light unit, ground fogger smoke machine; alter with shivaling, vibhuti, sandalwood paste, kumkum, water, painted wooden low floor stool, brass manjira, dhamru, brass ghanti, 4 metal prints, incense sticks, dhoop, camphor, raw rice, black sesame seeds, candles, ghee, 2 coconuts, rudrakhsa beads, sandalwood mala beads, fresh flowers, fireproof tiles, slate, copper pots and various other ritualistic objects, variable dimensions

An immersive, multi-sensory audiovisual installation; exploring myth and memory through a meditation on intergenerational trauma, transcultural space, the spirit realm and interspecies communication.

Bringing together a series of works; video Tiger Vision (2021), incantation Trigger Warning! Trigger Warning! (2020) by Swan Nemesis, and a soundscape by Nina Radio Tapes + Ice Cream Mafia.

Journey into a parallel plane where Animism, Buddhism, Islam, Rastafari, Sufi and Vedic rituals from Hinduism coexist in the hypnotic tensions created from incantation, sound, non-linear time and ancient cosmologies. Using the art of lyricism as weaponry, words act as a warning for the present, acknowledging the horrors of the past and forewarning possible futures.

This work was situated in the safe room of a disused bank located on Whitstable High Street. A symbol of a pair of feet used as a welcoming sign was placed above the entrance to the building. People were invited to remove their shoes and socks before entering a darkened installation space. The soundscape could be heard as they entered by walking barefoot on fresh moist turf along a darkened corridor. The smell of the fresh turf was mixed with the fragrance of incense, camphor and dhoop.

A series of photographic portraits with paper garlands lined the walls on both sides. The portraits are of people and deities who were part of the multi-layered sonic and cultural elements referenced in Tiger Vision. Tea-lights were placed on the turf, going towards the main space of this installation. This 25m2 space was split in two equal zones by metal bars running from floor to ceiling with an entry space in the middle.

On entering this hot humid main space, people could observe a low hanging cloud of smoke slowly dissipating to reveal an alter area set out on the turf in one half of the space. Mats were placed on the ground on top of the moist turf, seating for a maximum of ten people as they faced the alter and a large video projection of Tiger Vision on the far wall while experiencing the very visceral and physical nature of the soundscape.

The fragrant mix of soil, turf, incense and various offerings remained heavy in the air. Despite the absence of any windows or natural light in the space, the turf in the alter area thrived from being kept moist throughout the week-long Biennale event, adding to the humidity created. Blades of grass and little flowers grew around the various objects and other elements that formed the alter and performance area. Insects crawled on the grass and flew in the space as it evolved throughout the week from each of the five live performances of Sādhanā, with traces of the passage of people entering and exiting the space; becoming a totally immersive, multi-sensory experience in a living, breathing and spiritually healing space.

Sādhanā, a series of live performances by my alter ego Swan Nemesis, re-activated the installation space at specific times during the opening and closing weekends of the Biennale. 

The featured incantation: Trigger Warning! Trigger Warning! (2020) was originally conceived and written as part of Nothing Gentle Will Remain an online group show and print publication curated by Lydia Antoniou, Caterina Guadagno, Nora Kovacs, Titus Nouwens and William Rees; in partnership with Open School East, Margate and MA Curating Contemporary Art Programme Graduate Projects 2020, Royal College of Art, London.

Commissioned by Cement Fields for Whitstable Biennale 2022
Photos by Dipesh Pandya