INSTRUMENTS OF POWER

"INSTRUMENTS OF POWER is a living sonic archive, presented as a series of metal vocal pad instruments. When the instruments are touch activated, the voices of Ella Wanendeya’s family members from different eras and backgrounds rise. Distant pasts and unborn futures engage, facilitating previously restricted conversations, demonstrating infinite co-existing narratives and continuing the rich history of Ugandan oral storytelling. The empowering soundscape overcomes the rigid boundaries experienced within the linear family tree structure that doesn’t have the capacity to hold diaspora histories.

The aluminium instruments display Ugandan mountain landscapes, seen as a place of resilience. Infrared lighting above the installation bathes the space in warmth reminiscent of tropical climates, allowing oneself to sink into familiarity. The intimate, improvisational performance records the complexity of diasporic histories in a more authentic manner."