Re-Existence by Oyuun Tuule & Circular Void
«Sustain» is a sound art project and research conducted by independent artists, Sakha-born Alena (Oyuun Tuule) and Karelia-born Andrey (Circular Void). It’s an electroacoustic endeavor that reinterprets folk music through an experimental lens.
Embracing a decolonial perspective and techniques intended to break the shackles of colonial and imperial thinking about what music is, who makes it, who listens to it, and how it functions in human societies. This project is Alena’s artistic response to radical non-belonging and alienation. This is not an invitation to return to the past’s essential authenticity, nor a negation of the future, but a sincere attempt to question today’s tendencies. The piece is performed on the traditional instrument called khomus (mouth harp).
The recording took place in a secluded Doukhobor skit nestled in the southern region of Georgia called Javakheti during an DIY ethnographic exploration, August 2023. The location resonates with our personal stories, echoing the struggle of the Doukhobors, the “spirit-warriors”, an ethnoreligious group who were forcibly displaced from the Russian Empire in 1839-1845 due to beliefs and pacifist ideas. This story of displacement and resistance parallel our own lived experiences. This composition was presented at a workshop during Goethe-Institut x Morphine Raum x Mutant Radio collaborative events in Tbilisi, Georgia, and later finished following the curator’s review.
«Decay» is a profound spiritual immersion into the wide spectrum of harmonics, featuring the texture of the stringed acoustic instrument called “barrel harp”. It combines a hybrid of cello and guitar within the resonant barrel, originally crafted for storing petroleum products.
The barrel harp produces sound by vibrating metal strings with a horsehair bow, creating singing overtones (bourdon) in slow legato motion. This results in a voluminous and sustained drone metal texture saturated with harmonics, bringing the listener closer to the experience of avant-folk chamber performance. The composition is a mix of improvisational recordings performed on the barrel harp, khomus, cymbals, and bells inside the barrel at Ikalto Micro Art Residence in Tbilisi, Georgia in October 2023. The “barrel harp” instrument crafted by Mitry Grankov.
This work harks back to the origins of sound, acoustics, and music theory, shown in an analog form of string vibration. The primitive sound extraction method has allowed artists to attain an archaic perspective on musical form and composition through expressive and sensual techniques performed within the recycled barrel. Reflecting on the term re-existence, signifying the reimagining of lived experiences and a rejection of existing norms of modernity.
Credits
Artwork by Oyuun Tuule
Mastered by Misha Gavrilov
