Immersive concert
by Adilia Yip, with compositions and immersive system created by Edward Dekeyser, Bernadette Choy, Adon Geel, Chris Mec Tshongo and herself
At the heart of this performance lies an immersive journey into the sound world of the manza, a traditional xylophone once performed by the chiefs and notables of the Azande people, however, its voices and techniques have been disappearing due to the forces of colonization, missionary, modernization, and urbanization. In dialogue with musicians from the DR Congo, Belgium and Asia, I reimagine this disappearing heritage, weaving together archival recordings, local hip-hop, African church choir, and delicate microtonal textures of the luggage belts of the airport in Kisangani (DRC) to the roaring engines of boats navigating day and night along the busy Congo River. This concert is part of Adilia Yip's research project ‘ReSoXy: Re-sounding the xylophone collection of Africa Museum, Tervuren’ at the Conservatoire.
Image: Adilia Yip