Walking Together: The Ears Between Worlds are Always Speaking, a two-channel hyper directional opera
The world is currently in the throes of the largest human displacement crisis since the Second World War, which has caused an unprecedented rise in global tensions as countries try to accommodate the hordes of refugees seeking safe haven. Stories abound of devastation, of young children dying in the arms of their grief-stricken mothers, stories often fanned by fears that this wave of suffering is headed your way, along with unsuspected terrorist’s intent of sewing fear, disruption, and death.
At the same time, the arts tend to flourish in times of conflict, as writers and other creative types bring their own distinct perspective to the unrest in their world. But while the arts can give voice to individual tragedies, there is often a lack of reflection when it comes to the bigger picture, of the violence that is endemic in Western powers.
For Postcommodity, an indigenous interdisciplinary art collective based in New Mexico, USA, it’s imperative to start laying the groundwork for new narratives to form, ones that challenge an increasingly violent and disruptive history that we know today. Featured artists in this year’s Documenta14, a quinquennial contemporary arts event hosted in Kassel, Germany, the collective is also participating in Documenta’s inaugural event, Learning from Athens, with their installation, The Ears Between Worlds are Always Speaking.

The Ears between Worlds Are Always Speaking (2017), Aristotle’s Lyceum, Athens, Greece
Postcommodity, comprised of Raven Chacon, Cristóbal Martínez, and Kade L. Twist are examining migration in the context of how various peoples have moved across the land for various reasons, throughout history in their two channel hyperdirectional opera, The Ears Between Worlds are Always Speaking. Encompassing oral stories and recorded vocals spoken in multiple languages, told by migrants based in North America, Syria, and the Middle East, set to an original score, the opera is projected from two Long Range Acoustic Devices, often used by the military or police to disperse crowds, into Aristotle’s Lyceum. The opera both reimagines the LRAD’s purpose, transforming from its intended function as a weapon, into a tool that can be used for learning, while also paying tribute to Aristotle’s peripatetic learning, as visitors are encouraged to walk through the Lyceum to fully experience the opera.
Exploring historical narratives that have been largely defined by the outstanding greed of global market systems and persistent global warfare that has become hyper-normalized in contemporary culture, Postcommodity is careful not to discount the past. “In this work, we are also considering examples of forced migration in North America, like The Trail of Tears when the Cherokee Nation were forced from their lands and relocated to Oklahoma, and The Long Walk, the deportation of the Navajo people,” said Raven, “Similar to one of our most recent works, Repellent Fence, which also recognizes the negative impact systems of oppression can have on communities, land, movement, and communication, the opera aims to navigate these deeply ingrained global narratives, and subsequently present in new ways to understand collective histories”.
Postcommodity researched various other projects focusing on human rights, discovering early on in the process that while there a lot of organizations that focus on immigration, most of the stories told by migrants were diluted by specific sets of questions that cater to a specific plotline. The majority of subjects were asked to give their reasons for migrating, in addition to being asked to discuss their expectations, and what they felt they had lost. “The the way these stories were constructed often conform to the conceptual arc of the American Dream,” explained Kade. “We wanted our project to undo the sense of forced narrative, so we made sure to give those who participated in the opera plenty of room. This was done in order to really capture the process of knowledge recovery by allowing people to tell their stories in an open-ended way”. Postcommodity’s interviews were more like a discussion about the experience individuals had while moving, and how their relationship to the land developed as they were forced to make these long walks. “We really wanted to hear about what people experienced, what they saw along the way, what was going through their minds”, continued Cristobal.
Documenta’s decision to extend their vision to Athen’s was not only to recognize the Greek capital for its historical role as a safe haven for refugees but also to highlight long-standing tensions within Europe resulting from harsh austerity measures and lingering colonial attitudes often associated with the West. While Learning from Athens has been well-received so far, it almost didn’t happen. Wary of allowing their historical sites misused and a fear of being exoticized for the sake of art-world entertainment, Documenta’s original pitch to utilize historical sites was originally rejected. “There were concerns that Documenta would simply use locations in Greece to push their own agenda without considering these historical sites and their meaning deeply rooted in their history”, explained Raven. “But, the fact that we almost didn’t have the chance to show our work in the Lyceum was an unexpected opportunity for us to really understand local concerns, and to engage more deeply with the local community during this process.”

The Ears between Worlds Are Always Speaking (2017), Aristotle’s Lyceum, Athens, Greece
Cristobal made the long journey from New Mexico to Greece and meet with the local Greek council in person on behalf of Postcommodity. While the meeting started off a bit cold, it didn’t take long for tensions to dislodge as conversation ensued. “The council was apprehensive about people misusing or disrespecting their historical sites a major part of their cultural identity”, said Cristobal, “they wanted to be sure that we weren’t just some privileged group coming from the United States to use the ruins simply because it’s cool”. The conversation soon turned towards one’s personal experience of walking. Cristobal asked the council if they had ever been taken on a walk by a family member and everyone had agreed they had indeed and that it was a memorable experience that played into a collective memory. “This turn in the discussion gave me the opportunity to show that our work speaks to these experiences and urges us not to turn our backs on people who are forced on these walks. I was able to illustrate how utilizing the Lyceum would pay tribute to the history of peripatetic learning, in addition to the knowledge gained from those who have made these long walks throughout history.”
Having previously exhibited their work, A Very Long Line earlier this year at the Whitney Biennale, Postcommodity is continuing to play a significant role in pushing the boundaries of how the art world is currently dealing with difficult and nuanced political topics, like immigration. “As with all of our work, says Kade, “we seek to create generative algorithms, which are both respectful of the land and its existing communities, that can be implemented anywhere in the world to establish new frameworks for learning”.
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The Ears between Worlds Are Always Speaking (2017)
Two-channel hyper directional opera: two Long Range Acoustic Devices (RADs) and social collaboration (oral stories spoken in multiple languages, recorded vocals, and original music)
Four acts in seven hours at Aristotle’s Lyceum, in Athens, Greece. The installation runs for a duration of 8 hours daily for 100 days from 8 April till 16 July, 2017.
Postcommodity will also be exhibiting Blind/Curtain (2017) in Kassel, Germany at the entrance of the Neue Galerie. A curtain of pink noise embraces visitors upon entering the gallery, acknowledging the physical transition being made from the outside world into the institution they are about to enter. Documenta 14 in Kassel will be taking place from 10 June till 17 September 2017
Originally published at www.grayamanda.com.
