While in residence, Bhenji Ra was joined by collaborator Tati au Miel to present an open rehearsal of a performance in progress. The showing accompanied the presentation of Ra’s new moving image commission Biraddali Dancing on the Horizon, which featured an original score by au Miel. Throughout the evening, audience members were invited to collaborate in the making of a sonic environment where ritual, attention, and play coalesced.
The showing began in Western Front’s foyer where an altar was arranged on the floor with materials collected over the course of Ra and au Miel’s residency in Vancouver. Audience members were offered clamshells and marigolds before joining a short procession scored by amplified field recordings and a three-part rhythm played on bamboo buzzers by audience volunteers. Carrying a statue of a saint wrapped in banana leaves, Ra led the audience on a route that circled the building and ended in the Grand Luxe Hall where a second altar was arranged at the centre of the space. Performing in the round, au Miel played a live electronic set that incorporated flutes, bells, chimes, shakers, and contact microphones.
A beam of red light spilled into the performance space as Ra emerged through a door at the back of the Grand Luxe Hall. As au Miel’s set unfolded, Ra moved around the four corners of the Luxe, gradually making her way closer to the altar where she donned a set of jangaay—metal fingernail extensions traditionally worn to perform pangalay. Together, Ra and au Miel married movement to sounds that channelled ancestors from the Philippines to Haiti. To close the rehearsal, Ra read a short text from her phone with added vocal effects.
Showing by Bhenji Ra and Tati au Miel, video documentation, Jul 30, 2024. 51 min. 52 sec. Camera by Susan Gibb and Ben Wilson.
Bhenji Ra performing at Western Front, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Tati au Miel performing at Western Front, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Bhenji Ra performing at Western Front, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Showing by Bhenji Ra and Tati au Miel, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Showing by Bhenji Ra and Tati au Miel, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Showing by Bhenji Ra and Tati au Miel, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Showing by Bhenji Ra and Tati au Miel, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Bhenji Ra performing at Western Front, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Showing by Bhenji Ra and Tati au Miel, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Tati au Miel performing at Western Front, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Bhenji Ra and Tati au Miel performing at Western Front, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Tati au Miel and Bhenji Ra performing at Western Front, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Tati au Miel and Bhenji Ra performing at Western Front, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Bhenji Ra performing at Western Front, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Bhenji Ra performing at Western Front, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Tati au Miel and Bhenji Ra performing at Western Front, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Bhenji Ra performing at Western Front, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Bhenji Ra performing at Western Front, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Tati au Miel and Bhenji Ra performing at Western Front, photo documentation, Jul 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Western Front is a non-profit
artist-run centre in Vancouver.
We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.
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