Anger demands the body to wait between one point in time and another. Often, when we are in a state of deep emotional chaos, we have the feeling of being just on the verge of something; a certain rhythm begins to unfurl that is not just temporal but more spatial. Devices appear in these spaces that are not always easily grasped, and often overwhelm by their surreal, unfathomable nature. The artists Deborah Joyce Holman and Yara Dulac Gisler have collaborated to create a playlist of vignettes that looks at anger as an eclipse through sound, composition, and time. The two artists locate anger as a tool for transformative emotions that empower rather than dissolve the listener as they transition through the insignia of rage. The key figure of this Spiritus Mundi is the Τrickster, who often knows how to navigate an oppressive hegemonic system without fully subscribing to its truths and values.

Through the narrative arc, the two creators map moments of change as emotional and bodily responses that are captured through field recordings by Holman and Gisler. The sounds range from rainfall in Ghana to riding a cab across Washington, D.C., to walking through the streets of Oakland, and sonic vibrations of the bathtub. These are all woven between contributions exploring an incongruent version of anger that’s truly transformative and uneasy.

with contributions by B Covington Sam-Sumana, FALSE PRPHT & Suutoo
Untitled (in rage), 2021
Sound installation, 20’24’’
Courtesy of the artists
Commissioned and produced by the Athens Biennale
With the support of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia