"Mouth of River" from their cassette 5730±40
OKO merges sound, body centered performance and video to talk about humanity in relation to the natural world. Performance, sound, video and installation individually are not enough to convey the troubled relationship humans have to nature. Alone these media have limited power, but combined, they can become a force that envelops the viewer within the performance. OKO is an attempt to create an enveloping environment of sound, sight and body. The voice tears out of the performer's mouth, the muscles spasm and contort. The video penetrates the eyes of the audience the sound stuns them. The viewer is pried open by the stimuli, they have no choice but to be receptive.
OKO begins as a low rumble in near darkness. The two performers begin to improvise, using sound building blocks and voice to create an uneasy soundscape. The video projections of mountain and forest scenes gradually become brighter, the space is filled with smoke and the smell of burning leaves. As the performance progresses, the sound’s grip on the bodies of the performers strengthens, throwing them around like puppets. At the crescendo the performance breaks and opens to whiteness and stillness. The space is filled with a bright light and a low hum.
