During my Iberian ethnomusicology research, I rediscovered the zambomba – a friction drum – with a new set of eyes. I already knew the instrument and its usage context. It is commonly used in southern Portugal (sarronca) as well as Spain, during Christmas celebrations. My initial idea was to record that same instrument a make a spatial sound piece. I’ve contacted several sources, such as the Cultural Affairs of the Spanish Embassy, Cervantes Institution and other minor Spanish communities in Greater London. I got in contact with many musicians and percussionists who were firstly interested in the project. Throughout May, I tried to plan recording sessions with them to learn other different zambomba techniques. I was delighted with the outcome of the project. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the production of the piece. It was going to be my first time working with these type of instruments and ideas. But, unfortunately, I had to abandon this project since the artists I was in contact with started to raise some sceptical thoughts about the project, and my approach was, consequently, ignored. I couldn’t rely anymore on this project, and I had to rethink and rearrange my ideas.
Following my previous blog post, I decided to expand the iberianess theme to another extent. Even though I was not falling into the cliché with my earlier idea, since I would use an underground/forgotten instrument as a leitmotif to link both cultures, with an avant-garde approach on its sound recording and production.
Therefore, I decided to jump from a spatial sound piece to an audiovisual work. Back on the 29th of March, I came up with a unique fictional audiovisual format that focuses mainly on sound, with less reliance on the image. Image, in this case, gives the spectator a perception of the type of space that the character is inserted, despite the fact it stimulates the visual sense. In this format, I use footage that I either record myself or found in films I like. The images appear in a never-ending loop of 1 to 2 seconds. The sound is guided by either sound effects editing in a sound-for-film style but with an experimental touch and voice recording. The way I approach this could follow the modern ideas of surrealism and the perception of the unconscious being. In this format, the main idea is to appeal to the spectator’s senses through a nostalgic and monotone experience. If the spectator doesn’t feel connected to what he experiences in the piece, it would be considered a fail. The first attempt was published on my Instagram account, and I can say that the impact was quite surprising. I had many people approaching me and thanking me for that experience. The piece was called Fake Memory, Falso Recuerdo, where I describe a false memory that I had about a place that I’ve never been to. Description of the fake memory: I imagine myself on the beach in Latin America? Where exactly? I don’t know. But It’s 1am, I am drunk, and I’m dancing to some cumbia or reggaeton with my friends. Nevertheless, there’s someone who I can’t stop looking and smiling at. I used footage only from the film Y Tu Mama También, directed by Alfonso Cuarón in 2001 and archive material from archive.org. This time, I’ll explore this phenomenon even more by including my previous post’s thoughts.