The composition played on the façade of the Zachęta was commissioned by the Musica Electronica Nova Festival 2017 in Wrocław. Michał Mendyk, curator of this section of the festival, explained: ‘The piece marks a breakthrough in the artist’s oeuvre, as it gives a leading role — both materially and symbolically — to the human voice, especially the female voice. In B U R U N D A N G A, the voice is not only a communicative tool, but also a magical one, capable of truly transforming reality. This expression of female energies — inarticulate, transgressive, and sometimes unbearable — is at the same time restricted and suppressed, reflecting the real balance of power in a broad socio-cultural context. The rebellion in defence of one’s identity is thus expressed through the sounds of the physiological process of inhalation, driven by the energy carried by the air between syllables, sounds and phrases. Will the impression of never-ending breathlessness, the inability to utter an articulated, unfettered message, resonate with . . . the audience?’

The title of the composition is the name of a poisonous plant from South America, the consumption of which makes a person submissive and susceptible to suggestion.

voices: Dominika Biernat, Iwona Budner, Urszula Kiebzak, Anna Zaradny