Audio Control Turn on Yuval's sonic flow

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Seance exercise: Touch your mind searching for your object of desire.
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Audio Control Turn on Yuval's sonic flow
Audio Control

Solo exhibition

Il Bestiario della Terra – Reggio Parma Festival 2022 and Parma 360
curated by Chiara Canali and Camilla Mineo
Palazzo Marchi, Parma, Italy – September 10 – October 30, 2022

The exhibition is a journey through the magnificent halls and collections of Palazzo Marchi in which, in a dialogue with the space, the artist has created site-specific installations including a variety of artworks featuring Avital’s Sonic Masks, sound art, video art, photography and performance.

Within the macro-opera the Bestiary of the Earth, Persona is the third exhibition and represents the investigation of maturity.
Persona in the past meant mask as the Italian term comes from the Latin verb personare, formed by per = through + sonare = to resound, with reference to the actors of classical theatre who “spoke through” the wooden mask they wore on stage. The mask allows each person, by concealing it, to express their deepest truths, their true ‘self’ and consequently the primordial, ancestral, instinctive, or animal soul, enclosed in each of us and which can finally open a path of communication towards the world. Realised by the artist in collaboration with excellent Tuscan craftsmanship (in 2019 on the occasion of the monographic exhibition Nephilìm, at the Museo Marino Marini in Florence, and presented in 2021 in Milan in the site-specific installation Mikvé, at the Bagni Misteriosi in Milan), Avital’s sonic masks enclose a strong underlying symbolic meaning from which mystery, artifice and ritual seep.
Excerpt from the exhibition catalogue text by Chiara Canali, curator

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Massive Sonic Works:

/ˈmæsɪv ˈsɒnɪk wɜːrks/

Large-scale performances using collective participation to create powerful sound masses.

Yuval Avital’s “Massive Sonic Works” or “Opera di Massa Sonora” involves the creation of large-scale performances that utilize collective participation to craft a unique sound experience. These works focus on forming powerful sound masses through the collaboration of numerous performers, exploring new possibilities through sound rituals. The compositions often include graphic visual elements, written music, and easy-to-read instructions to allow interpretation by individuals without prior musical experience. This approach, sometimes involving hundreds of participants, aims to create what can be described as “crowd music.”

Some key works in Avital’s repertoire include:

– GARON (2012): An opera for 45 bass tubas do, percussions, and a crowd of performers.

– KARAGATAN (2013): A composition for 100 gongs and bamboo in the Philippines.

– REKA (2014): Commissioned by the Warsaw Autumn Festival and co-produced by the MiTo festival in Milan, involving traditional singers from unique cultures such as Tibetan, Zulu, Sardinian, Mongolian, and Samarkand traditions.

One of Avital’s significant compositions is MISE EN ABÎME, a milestone work that marks the beginning of his “Massive Sonic Works” series. Premiered in 2011, this composition involves a large ensemble of 100-200 non-musician vocalists, accordions, bass tubas, soprano, bass clarinet, percussions, didgeridoo, and conductors directing the performance in an immersive setup.

Another notable work is URLA, an immersive sonic experience with over 300 performers, showcasing diverse musical traditions in Matera, Italy. This piece combines traditional elements with modern instrumentation, theatrical actions, and innovative technological approaches, reflecting Yuval Avital’s interdisciplinary and transcultural artistic vision.

Yuval Avital’s creations blend complexity, cultural diversity, and technological innovation to create immersive and participatory sonic experiences that push the boundaries of traditional music composition and performance.