Katja Esser & Bonesong - "Songjourneys" - 2004
Ms. Esser and her associates in the ensemble Bonesong recorded this material live to mini-disk in the Widow Jane Mine. Ms. Esser came to AVS with this raw material for editing and processing into a distributable CD. Although there was no engineering to speak of in the original recording, through the power of digital processing we were able to bring out the essence of the performance while minimizing unwanted artifacts. These are short samples from the CD. All rights reserved by Katja Esser and Bonesong.
About the work...
(From the Bonesong web site)
Deep inside you mother, we sit between your hollowed out bones. Dark, cool, cavern, with massive pillars holding up the mountain. We, wet with tears dripping, splashing, singing, filling the underground lake. A perfect mirror, a thirty foot drop, a perfect illusion, or an entry into the other world. Mother teach us!A sound falls from our lips, first searching, then wrapping around intself, filling the space and every cell, vibrating, echoing. And the sounds begin to weave, as if magically directed, knowing where to go, birthing sacred songs, ancient and anew, opening a pathway to spirit. Frogs and crickets join in, The heavens open up and form a steady drone. And last the thunderbeings, all singing this prayer to you mother earth. Oct 17, 2002.
About the artist...
Katja Esser is a visual and performance artist who uses her mask, dance, sound and ritual to awaken the deep story we carry in our bones. She studied art in her native country, the Netherlands. She has exhibited her artwork in New York City, Boston, Belgium and the Netherlands. Katja’s work has been greatly inspired by nature. Her numerous month long trips to Utah’s wild canyon country and her involvement in ritual, sound and movement have put a strong mark on her work as well as her life.
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