The NGV and British Council, together with musicians, Stéphanie Kabanyana Kanyandekwe and Ben Opie, present two programs of music – an artform central to the artist’s practice – surrounding and responding to Cerith Wyn Evans’s monumental work, C=O=D=A 2019-20.
Stéphanie Kabanyana Kanyandekwe and Ben Opie use music and sound to express long form conversations. Within the arena of Cerith Wyn Evans’ C=O=D=A, they invite you into the conversation by playing a graphic score projected across the movement and interaction of people.
The site and event specific work titled: Ikimanuka: Kuri Intagiriro, will premiere at the NGV for this special performance. Ikimanuka is the long running conversation Kabanyana Kanyandekwe and Opie have been recapitulating (in the biological sense) with site and event specific versions that evolve over time. Kuri Intagiriro is the new iteration of the Ikimanuka conversation, specifically for, and with, C=O=D=A.
Working within the natural architectural acoustics of the space, the full reverberance of this musical performance may be loud for some ears.
Performers
Stéphanie Kabanyana Kanyandekwe
Stéphanie Kabanyana Kanyandekwe is a Rwandan-British composer, multidisciplinary storyteller and broadcaster working between Narrm/Melbourne and Rwanda. Multiple forms of synaesthesia add a neurodiverse dimension to Stephanie’s identity as a third culture individual. Stéphanie’s research-based practice explores the construction and archiving of culture through transcription into experiential narratives. Her work focuses on layered and nuanced sensory engagement in installation and theatrical performance settings, referencing Rwandese storytelling styles alongside contemporary art music techniques from tertiary training in composition and performance practice. Stéphanie’s interactive, tangible, story-telling format, enables cultural context to remain and be respected. Stéphanie writes and presents Passenger, a weekly show on the ABC Classic radio station, to a national and international audience. In Passenger, Stéphanie takes the audience on a journey through matching storytelling with the art music of different destinations and cultures across the world.
Ben Opie
Ben Opie is an artist whose talents have allowed him to explore many facets of the music industry. Effortlessly appearing in leading ensembles, and the nation’s symphony orchestras as well as exploring different genres: jazz, world, folk, and of course classical chamber music and as a solo artist. Ben has collaborated with many different artists, including visual artists, poets, video installation artists, dancers, sound artists and radio documentary producers. He has also been involved in working with indigenous artists in remote communities, collaborating with them musically through workshops and performances. His passion for music extends to inspiring people who otherwise don’t have access to it, he has participated in numerous outreach programs.