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From: Thando Mlambo
To: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele, Thandi Loewenson
17 October, 09:08 (1 day ago)
Hi TxT <3 Ahh,
…
Wow. Shoutout to the Universe and our ancestors!
…
First of all, I LOVE everything that you have contributed-I feel full! …I feel like a kid in a candy store! Like a time and space traveller! Which makes me think of the VaDoma people who are said to be able to teleport, among other “mystical” things. How cool it is that we have examples of travel between realms and dimensions right here in Zim, and from a largely isolated group of people who are perceived by the majority with suspicion, fear, etc.
Thinking on time, time travel, and being, as well as medium (the mixtape, this email chain, our zoom calls, etc.) I’d like to share some quotes from my favourite book in the world, the title of which I used for my EP, “A Tale for the Time Being”:
“Time itself is being, and all being is time . . . In essence, everything in the entire universe is intimately linked with each other as moments in time, continuous and separate.”
“What is the half-life of information? Does its rate of decay correlate with the medium that conveys it? Pixels need power. Paper is unstable in fire and flood. Letters carved in stone are more durable, although not so easily distributed, but inertia can be a good thing.”
– Ruth Ozeki
To: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele, Thandi Loewenson
17 October, 09:08 (1 day ago)
Hi TxT <3 Ahh,
…
Wow. Shoutout to the Universe and our ancestors!
…
First of all, I LOVE everything that you have contributed-I feel full! …I feel like a kid in a candy store! Like a time and space traveller! Which makes me think of the VaDoma people who are said to be able to teleport, among other “mystical” things. How cool it is that we have examples of travel between realms and dimensions right here in Zim, and from a largely isolated group of people who are perceived by the majority with suspicion, fear, etc.
Thinking on time, time travel, and being, as well as medium (the mixtape, this email chain, our zoom calls, etc.) I’d like to share some quotes from my favourite book in the world, the title of which I used for my EP, “A Tale for the Time Being”:
“Time itself is being, and all being is time . . . In essence, everything in the entire universe is intimately linked with each other as moments in time, continuous and separate.”
“What is the half-life of information? Does its rate of decay correlate with the medium that conveys it? Pixels need power. Paper is unstable in fire and flood. Letters carved in stone are more durable, although not so easily distributed, but inertia can be a good thing.”
– Ruth Ozeki
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From: Thandi Loewenson
To: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele, Thando Mlambo
17 October, 11:05 (1 days ago)
…
I really love the idea of the 'time being'. In another work, I was thinking about Southern African 'now now' time -- elastic and frustrating to all those colonial, capitalistic efforts to constrain us. [I write a bit about this in the reflections on this project too]
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From: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele
To: Thando Mlambo, Thandi Loewenson
17 October, 12:44 (1 day ago)
…
I guess the way that VaDoma are perceived by the majority with fear and suspicion is a double-edged sword, on the one hand, it helps protect them and somewhat keep sacred to themselves that which is important to preserve, while on the other hand, the same perception feeds into that demonising narrative around indigenous knowledge systems and practices, and ultimately technologies, but hey, I'm drawn to lean into the idea from the quote you share, "...interia is a good thing".
To: Thando Mlambo, Thandi Loewenson
17 October, 12:44 (1 day ago)
…
I guess the way that VaDoma are perceived by the majority with fear and suspicion is a double-edged sword, on the one hand, it helps protect them and somewhat keep sacred to themselves that which is important to preserve, while on the other hand, the same perception feeds into that demonising narrative around indigenous knowledge systems and practices, and ultimately technologies, but hey, I'm drawn to lean into the idea from the quote you share, "...interia is a good thing".
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From: Thando Mlambo
To: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele, Thandi Loewenson
17 October, 09:08 (1 day ago)
…
Earlier this year, Thandi G-N and I with some other friends visited Dzimbanhete Arts and Culture Interactions Trust for what was truly, one of my most spiritually nurturing days! The elders there, Sekuru Chiko and Mayita (the healer) spoke with us about a lot of things, but one thing that remains with me is our conversation on ancestral or indigenous knowledges/practices that can’t and shouldn’t be shared. Somé also talks about that in his book on ritual (which Thandi G-N shared with me 🧿)
So my thought then is: what can be shared, what shouldn’t be? Even as we think about the EU Film Festival platform [at Mbare Art Space, where the live performance takes place], in what ways is this project for us and by us? What (if anything) are we losing by sharing it in that specific space? All of these are questions I go back and forth on in my mind as a creative who creates and shares what she creates. Who am I making this for and why?
So my thought then is: what can be shared, what shouldn’t be? Even as we think about the EU Film Festival platform [at Mbare Art Space, where the live performance takes place], in what ways is this project for us and by us? What (if anything) are we losing by sharing it in that specific space? All of these are questions I go back and forth on in my mind as a creative who creates and shares what she creates. Who am I making this for and why?
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From: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele
To: Thando Mlambo, Thandi Loewenson
17 October, 12:44 (1 day ago)
…
What do you call it when art mirrors life and vice versa? Something is happening there in the way that the book holds such a special place in your heart and creative process. There is a "foreverness" in the way that we are impacted by writing/music/art etc and can continuously reference it, create from it and kind of breathe more and more life into the source while birthing new lives in what we create from it.
This leads me to the idea of coding information, in relation to your questions, Thando, "What ways is this project for us by us", and "What (if anything) are we losing by sharing it in that specific space? , "Who am I making this for and why". To me, mediums, languages, symbols, sounds etc are all ways of coding information, I'd even go so far as to say that intention is a code as well. These codes sometimes ensure a "for us by us(ness) of things, whether explicitly or implicitly, they somehow make specific information (even just via the sense of an intuitive/energetic understanding), available to those who it is for because codes can trigger ancestral memory or embodied knowledge that we don't even know we have till its triggered.
For example, the way that a Mbira song or adaptation of a traditional Mbira song like Ngoma Yarira in Episode 1, can bring certain people into a trance, or just evoke a strong feeling/memory that carries coded messages that the body and consciousness process without the need for logic or mind to make sense of.
To: Thando Mlambo, Thandi Loewenson
17 October, 12:44 (1 day ago)
…
What do you call it when art mirrors life and vice versa? Something is happening there in the way that the book holds such a special place in your heart and creative process. There is a "foreverness" in the way that we are impacted by writing/music/art etc and can continuously reference it, create from it and kind of breathe more and more life into the source while birthing new lives in what we create from it.
This leads me to the idea of coding information, in relation to your questions, Thando, "What ways is this project for us by us", and "What (if anything) are we losing by sharing it in that specific space? , "Who am I making this for and why". To me, mediums, languages, symbols, sounds etc are all ways of coding information, I'd even go so far as to say that intention is a code as well. These codes sometimes ensure a "for us by us(ness) of things, whether explicitly or implicitly, they somehow make specific information (even just via the sense of an intuitive/energetic understanding), available to those who it is for because codes can trigger ancestral memory or embodied knowledge that we don't even know we have till its triggered.
For example, the way that a Mbira song or adaptation of a traditional Mbira song like Ngoma Yarira in Episode 1, can bring certain people into a trance, or just evoke a strong feeling/memory that carries coded messages that the body and consciousness process without the need for logic or mind to make sense of.
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From: Thandi Loewenson
To: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele, Thando Mlambo
18 October, 10:23 (8 hours ago)
…I’m moved by your comments, Thandi, about coding, which is a term so embedded in the violent binary and abstraction of the digital, but in your use becomes exactly the opposite. This appropriation (or rather reclamation) of terms is so interesting to me in the context of this project, and discussion.
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From: Thando Mlambo
To: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele, Thandi Loewenson
18 October, 09:15 (9 hours ago)
…WOAH–mind blown. Sound really has the power to move us, trigger our body’s memory! A fitting example is listening to your piece ‘Angizanga ndgedwa, sibanengi’ triggered a stillness in me, a memory of stillness.
I literally got chills, Thandi.
To: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele, Thandi Loewenson
18 October, 09:15 (9 hours ago)
…WOAH–mind blown. Sound really has the power to move us, trigger our body’s memory! A fitting example is listening to your piece ‘Angizanga ndgedwa, sibanengi’ triggered a stillness in me, a memory of stillness.
I literally got chills, Thandi.
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From: Thandi Loewenson
To: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele, Thando Mlambo
17 October, 11:05 (1 days ago)
…
I agree with your point about restraint. How much can and should be shared, with whom and when. This was something I really had in mind when I was writing this piece about a year ago - reflecting on the power of the spiritual realm within liberation movements (movements here being armed struggle, but also movement - how tricks, technics like ‘now now time’ allow us to swerve/move away from oppression).
Another of my heroes, DJ Lynnée Denise speaks about the importance of black people moving in unison in her work on DJ Scholarship -- and how sound/music can be a technology that allows for a performance and rehearsal of this in otherwise hostile contexts. … I think there's something there too within sound that enables that kind of control around what is shared in a unique way. I'm thinking here for example about the way the guitar riff works in Aye BayBay [and its tik tok dance!]...somehow it is possible to engage with that track today without knowing that it originates in Tony! Toni! Toné!'s Anniversary. But when you do, somehow it gains a different kind of lineage, it tells a different story, and it transports you to another place...but only for those in the know. Or, to borrow a phrase from Chimurenga, for those who no know to go know.
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From: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele
To: Thando Mlambo, Thandi Loewenson
17 October, 12:44 (1 day ago)
…
Tik Tok mashups/remixes of songs are so amazing to me, I love how they bring new life to classic tracks and sometimes defy genre boundaries. Thandi L, you're absolutely right about the control that sound allows when sharing, and [thank you] for the introduction to DJ Lynnée Denise and her work, I am so inspired by her approach and exploration of sound in the African Diaspora.
To: Thando Mlambo, Thandi Loewenson
17 October, 12:44 (1 day ago)
…
Tik Tok mashups/remixes of songs are so amazing to me, I love how they bring new life to classic tracks and sometimes defy genre boundaries. Thandi L, you're absolutely right about the control that sound allows when sharing, and [thank you] for the introduction to DJ Lynnée Denise and her work, I am so inspired by her approach and exploration of sound in the African Diaspora.
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From: Thando Mlambo
To: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele, Thandi Loewenson
18 October, 09:15 (9 hours ago)
…
I also think a lot about sampling/interpolation especially because I love music, and love referencing the songs that live forever in me. For example: “Atoll” - it’s a cover of Nai Palm’s song. At the end though, in the vocals I reference Mariah Carey’s cover of the Jackson 5’s “I’ll be there” and Adele’s “make you feel my love” which was her covering a song written by Bob Dylan but popularized by Billy Joel. This makes me think of the family trees and the sonic/temporal linkages being constructed by the simple act of creating sound. The familiarity but in newness~ ahh to create and connect is such a blessing.
If you’re interested in exploring some more of these interpolations in popular music, check this out. By the way, a sample is the use of an existing recording that one uses in their music piece. An interpolation is an original performance of an existing piece of recorded work. I love Frank Ocean and started making this playlist of the interpolations I heard in his project Blonde, I never finished the project.. but if you’re interested as well, voila.
I was going through old Spotify playlists yesterday and found one called “afrofuturism” with no African artists on it… womp womp! But this is the beauty of growing as a thinker, listener, creator. In other words, I’m here for the process and am excited to–if you’re both keen–jointly build a playlist with you around these conversations!
To: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele, Thandi Loewenson
18 October, 09:15 (9 hours ago)
…
I also think a lot about sampling/interpolation especially because I love music, and love referencing the songs that live forever in me. For example: “Atoll” - it’s a cover of Nai Palm’s song. At the end though, in the vocals I reference Mariah Carey’s cover of the Jackson 5’s “I’ll be there” and Adele’s “make you feel my love” which was her covering a song written by Bob Dylan but popularized by Billy Joel. This makes me think of the family trees and the sonic/temporal linkages being constructed by the simple act of creating sound. The familiarity but in newness~ ahh to create and connect is such a blessing.
If you’re interested in exploring some more of these interpolations in popular music, check this out. By the way, a sample is the use of an existing recording that one uses in their music piece. An interpolation is an original performance of an existing piece of recorded work. I love Frank Ocean and started making this playlist of the interpolations I heard in his project Blonde, I never finished the project.. but if you’re interested as well, voila.
I was going through old Spotify playlists yesterday and found one called “afrofuturism” with no African artists on it… womp womp! But this is the beauty of growing as a thinker, listener, creator. In other words, I’m here for the process and am excited to–if you’re both keen–jointly build a playlist with you around these conversations!
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From: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele
To: Thando Mlambo, Thandi Loewenson
17 October, 15:15 (1 day ago)
I am so excited about the playlist!
Such a lovely way to remain in conversation while also coding it!
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That’s it for me!
– Thando
From: Thando Mlambo
To: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele, Thandi Loewenson
18 October, 09:15 (9 hours ago)
…
To: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele, Thandi Loewenson
18 October, 09:15 (9 hours ago)
…
– Thando
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From: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele
To: Thando Mlambo, Thandi Loewenson
17 October, 15:36 (1 day ago)
To: Thando Mlambo, Thandi Loewenson
17 October, 15:36 (1 day ago)
...
Also, a side thought about what can be shared in spaces of ritual, I realise that there are so many times that we have thoughts in the creative process and life in general that are guiding us to move with more care in what we do and I believe that your thoughts around this Thando are that kind of guidance.
I remember working on a performance piece for two months that I wanted to share with this sound piece at my solo show last year. I crafted and rehearsed the piece over and over, but deep down always felt that I wasn't ready to perform. I felt that the energy of the piece was far greater than my capacity to embody it publicly, a week before I was meant to perform. I felt a strong urge to stop rehearsing, stop developing and call off the performance entirely. I was quite disappointed and felt on some level that I was falling short or failing my art and show, but when I spoke to my performance director about this he said that sometimes ritual theatre is more about the process you go through while crafting and rehearsing/embodying the work away from the stage than it is about performing in front of an audience because it is ritual, it is sacred, it requires some form of anchoring, and that perhaps the repetitive process we went through in crafting and rehearsing was just for me, and was part of me anchoring my spirit and being prepared to hold space for the rest of the work that would be shown.
I guess I am sharing that to say that sometimes the work we create has a life of its own and will often instruct us on how to carry it out, we are part of its system and technology, and will often be moulded to work according to its time, needs and language. I think it worked out in the end because leaving out the performance allowed the sound piece to stand alone and take up space in a more intimate way (headphone installation), and everything I felt/learnt during rehearsal stayed with me.
I remember working on a performance piece for two months that I wanted to share with this sound piece at my solo show last year. I crafted and rehearsed the piece over and over, but deep down always felt that I wasn't ready to perform. I felt that the energy of the piece was far greater than my capacity to embody it publicly, a week before I was meant to perform. I felt a strong urge to stop rehearsing, stop developing and call off the performance entirely. I was quite disappointed and felt on some level that I was falling short or failing my art and show, but when I spoke to my performance director about this he said that sometimes ritual theatre is more about the process you go through while crafting and rehearsing/embodying the work away from the stage than it is about performing in front of an audience because it is ritual, it is sacred, it requires some form of anchoring, and that perhaps the repetitive process we went through in crafting and rehearsing was just for me, and was part of me anchoring my spirit and being prepared to hold space for the rest of the work that would be shown.
I guess I am sharing that to say that sometimes the work we create has a life of its own and will often instruct us on how to carry it out, we are part of its system and technology, and will often be moulded to work according to its time, needs and language. I think it worked out in the end because leaving out the performance allowed the sound piece to stand alone and take up space in a more intimate way (headphone installation), and everything I felt/learnt during rehearsal stayed with me.
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From: Thandi Loewenson
To: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele, Thando Mlambo
18 October, 10:23 (8 hours ago)
…
I love that publication of Tadiwa Madenga's Thando -- and Yvonne Vera, the ever-inspiration! -- the mix of text, collage, image as letter… There's something about how this mixing of documentation also takes pressure off the 'finished' document -- it allows it to be more raw, softer edged. Though it is of course a mistake to think this is less polished.
I think this about rehearsal too. In another project, I was working with Augusto Boal's concepts in Theatre of the Oppressed. Boal finds the use of rehearsal -- as an enactment of potential action in the "so called" real -- to be just as valid as the act/action you rehearse for itself. Within the space of the rehearsal, the actions themselves are just as real as is the world the performer creates, and the actions which take place. For the performer, there is no difference in their potency. This resonates so much with me about your description of the work you were doing in rehearsal Thandi, and the work the rehearsal was doing to you (and the many others who come with you as you invoke in Angizanga ngedwa, sibanengi - human and non human, material and immaterial).
…Wow Thando - thinking also about sampling and interpolation -- and the specificities of what is at play here. It echoed with me with your comment about what and how is shared too. When I was making the shows, there were some sounds that I recreated/interpolated (the scratch and whip sound effect from A Tribe Called Quest for example) and the technicality, physicality and intimacy of this process was completely fascinating to me.
Something happens when you re-rehearse others' work, when you channel it through you, you read and understand its code on another level entirely. For sure, in the process you create something entirely new but this exists alongside what is already there. I think Saidiya Hartman refers to this as 'writing with the chorus' which I really enjoy. I think I'm just vibing here with what you have already described in your experience of performing Atoll -- and I love your terminology here (terms again!) of family trees and the sonic/temporal linkages…
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From: Thandi Loewenson
To: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele, Thando Mlambo
17 October, 11:05 (1 days ago)
…
ps despite much effort I never managed to do the Aye BayBay tik tok dance
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From: Thandiwe Gula-Ndebele
To: Thando Mlambo, Thandi Loewenson
17 October, 15:15 (1 day ago)
…
also wow that is one of the hardest tik tok dances ever lol!
To: Thando Mlambo, Thandi Loewenson
17 October, 15:15 (1 day ago)
…
also wow that is one of the hardest tik tok dances ever lol!