Installation view, Old Bronx Borough Courthouse, Bronx, NY. Photo credit: Tod Seelie for Gothamist.
two-channel sound installation
(horn speakers, amplifier, sound, and framed works cited sheet)
8 minutes, 15 seconds
2015
Parley uses the musical framework of call and response to form a multilingual dialogue between two voices. The conversation is created through cut-up techniques and sampling of hip-hop song lyrics written between 1980-1988 by various artists, including Curtis Fisher, Lady L. and Afrika Islam, Scott LaRock, among others. The piece is spoken by b-girl Rokafella (Ana Garcia) and MC Lady L (Lynn Saunders), both significant innovators in the hip hop scene. The lyrics sampled and re-employed as conversation focus on hearing, listening, and the questioning of terms like truth, justice, and hope, all of which continue to carry immeasurable relevance today.
Audio excerpt.
Installation views, ICA Philadelphia, 2016. Photo credit: Constance Mensh.
left to right: MC Lady L (Lynn Saunders), Valerie Tevere, Rokafella (Ana Garcia), production still, Casita Maria, Bronx, NY, April 10, 2015.
MC Lady L (Lynn Saunders), production still, Casita Maria, Bronx, NY, April 10, 2015.
left to right: Valerie Tevere, MC Lady L (Lynn Saunders), Rokafella (Ana Garcia), Angel Nevarez, production still, Casita Maria, Bronx, NY, April 10, 2015.
Performers: Ana “Rokafella” Garcia and Lynn Saunders (AKA) Lady L
Sound Design by: Angel Nevarez and Valerie Tevere
Recorded at Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education, Bronx NY
Special thanks to:
Regine Basha, Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education, Ana “Rokafella” Garcia, Lynn Saunders (AKA) Lady L Rita Leduc, Christine Licata, Manon Slome, and NLE.
© Angel Nevarez and Valerie Tevere, 2015