A sound composition by Gilles Aubry in collaboration with Bouchra Errahmani and Audrey Chen

The composition features sung poetry and ecological voices in the Taghia Canyon in the Moroccan Atlas. The water spring is a sanctuary for Nana Agouti, a saint venerated as the mother of the community. Many voices populate this environment, including sung poetry, rivers and rocks, saints and spirits, and onsite radio frequencies. The piece relies on a matriphonic principle of transmission and interspecies co-formation. Songs by three generation of women are represented. If Amazigh izlan poetry celebrates virtue, fertility, and communal life in the first place, it also allows younger women to voice their concerns about traditions and gender roles. Worksongs and prayers reveal deep interconnections with the environment. Non-human lives mediate between people and supranatural forces, thus ensuring reciprocal exchanges. The piece comes with additional vocal interventions by Audrey Chen, who was invited to improvise in response to the field recordings. Chen’s empathic listening is channeled through her voice, extending the matriphonic principle of the composition.

Duration: 47’50’’

CREDITS

Gilles Aubry – recording, composition and mixing
Bouchra Errahmani – speech and vocals
Women from Agouti: Haju, Taza, Zahra and Rqia – vocals
Audrey Chen – vocals
Linda Fouad – research assistant and translation

Premiere on Klangkunst – Deutschland Funk, June 2nd 2023, 00:05