Part of ProtoZone16: Hallucinogenesis, 13.09.-03.11.2024

death levels us all (2024)

digitally printed drum carpet, bass drums, foot machines, cymbal stands, graphic scores, sound

death levels us all is a new sonic ritual which requires the participation of the public. With the musical score and bass drums, two people collaborate on the common task of sending impulses into acoustic space: resounding drum hits periodically activate the unique architecture and reverberation of Shedhalle, extending an invitation to anyone present to hear or feel the sonic energy. Just as two positions in space are never the same, neither are two listeners ever the same.

Based on sound, this work contains visual elements and embedded references to Zoroastrian rituals around death – such as the paywand connecting thread and the haoma plant – in the spirit of experimentally creating new rituals for contemporary times.

The drum rug is a necessary and standard component of any drumset setup, preventing unwanted movement of the kit on the floor. Typically covered by drums, here an elongated drum rug connects the two bass drums, and subsequently the two performers, visually reinforcing the collaborative nature of the ritual (1). This symbolic layout highlights the coordination necessary between two agents in a shared task in equalness and togetherness.

In the large unoccupied visual space of the rug, the work’s title is written in Farsi, a title that intentionally embraces the multi-meaning of the verb, level: to demolish, to make equal and also to direct a criticism. Overlaying this printed phrase are a reference to the branches of the haoma plant, known in Zoroastrian medicinal practice for its energetic qualities and connection to immortality (2).

death levels us all as a phrase reminds us of our own mortality or more specifically that this current substantiation of life is indeed transitory, and proposes this shared generic trait not as as a universalizing force but rather with the desire to unify. The style of the graphic score references such 20th century notational experiments as Iannis Xenakis’ box notation for the percussion piece, Psappha (1975) which sought a more direct means of rhythmic representation away from western classical standards, albeit here in a highly reduced manner, thus requiring of the public no prior knowledge of musical notation, but rather an interpretation of a diagram. The importance then is listening and responding to the other, and to what you make together.

death levels us all is a sonic ritual for the contemplation of death and an orientation for the living that recognizes humanity unequivocally and without judgment.

(1) This style of connecting two references the paywand of Zoroastrian death ritual, a thin piece of cloth that unites two corpse bearers, worn specifically when they enter the home of the recently deceased to carry them away to the burial ceremony. To hold a paywand means to be in close contact and requires coordination to proceed in action.

(2) When it becomes clear that a person is close to death, they are given a few drops of this plant extract before passing, for its stimulating qualities and as a reminder that this life is transitory yet the journey continues.

LABOUR is the Berlin-based duo Farahnaz Hatam and Colin Hacklander, who create works based on sound. They have been working together as a duo since 2013 and founded LABOUR in 2018 with their work next time, die consciously ( یگناگیب ). Their background is in music, but they are at home in a mixture of different scenes. Their works have been presented all over the world, including at the Martin Gropius Bau, Kraftwerk Berlin, Sharjah Biennale, Art Basel, Julia Stoschek Collection Berlin, Grand National Theatre Dakar and Berghain.

They regularly collaborate on works for theater, performance, video and fashion; they are fellows at Villa Aurora Los Angeles, have a monthly radio show on NTS and are long-term residents of Callie’s shared recording studio in Berlin, which they have helped build since 2018.

In 2022, together with Berlin Atonal, they curated the X100 Festival, which celebrates the lasting legacy of Iannis Xenakis over a period of heritage of Iannis Xenakis, and have a project in Dakar, Senegal, focusing on the Sabar drumming tradition with a focus on intangible cultural heritage and the musical exchange between electronic music and traditional percussion, funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation.

Previously, from 2008-2015, they ran the N.K. Project, an experimental music center in Berlin that hosted more than 450 concerts and workshops, with the goal of public engagement with the avant-garde. Releases are planned for 2023 on Honest Jon’s and REIF, as well as releases for their studio LABOUR, their own nascent imprint.

Farahnaz Hatam, born in Tehran in 1967, is a sound artist, composer and DJ with a background in molecular biology, working mainly with SuperCollider, a digital programming environment. She lives and works in Berlin.

Colin Hacklander, born in Minneapolis in 1986, is an avant-garde composer and percussionist with a background in post-tonal theory and electronic music. He lives and works in Berlin.