Tabakalera presents The Music / Is the Body / Is the Word, a sound installation by Debris Stevenson. The London-based artist offers a reflection on two of the cornerstones of her artistic practice: bass culture music and neuroqueerness.
\n\nThe work marks the launch of a new project as part of Tabakalera’s Scala programme, an initiative that transforms the transitional space of the Centre’s main staircase into an immersive installation. The new sound experience will be open to the public from today, 6 August, until 29 November.
\n\nDebris Stevenson grew up in Ilford, a neighbourhood in east London, in a deeply Mormon family. Electronic music, and grime in particular, became her escape. In this piece, she blends these sounds with recordings of her daily life and her experience as a neurodivergent person. The artist was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 21, a condition that meant she had to contend with other people’s expectations from a very young age.
\n\nGrime is one of the main pillars of bass culture, an urban music genre that originated in East London in the early 2000s. It is characterised by its fast beats and lyrics that address the experiences and challenges of urban life, which makes it one of the most popular forms of music among young people in London.
\n\nThe work draws on many of the cultural references linked to grime and bass culture, a sound tradition that travelled from the Caribbean to the UK and fundamentally transformed the country’s electronic music scene.
\n\nThe Music / Is the Body / Is the Word invites the audience to connect with those parts of themselves they have had to grapple with throughout their lives. The piece’s narrative unfolds floor by floor, both physically and sonically, as visitors ascend Tabakalera’s main staircase.
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Live performance
\n\nTo mark the opening of the installation, Debris Stevenson will give a live performance today, Thursday, at 20:00, in Room 1 at Tabakalera. The performance will bring the piece the artist has created for Scala to life. Conceived as a celebratory version of the installation, the performance offers a space in which, in Stevenson’s words, “all bodies, movements, stimuli, tics and ages are welcome”.
\n\nDebris Stevenson’s performances are characterised by her ability to combine the explosive power of her music and voice with a stage presence based on physical movement and interaction with the audience.
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