Performance on Melodies of Certain Damage (Opus 5) from Naama Tsabar on Vimeo.
Performances on Melodies of Certain Damage (Opus 5) at KinoSaito Arts Center, New York, 2022. Composed and performed in collaboration with: Rose Blanshei, Larkin Grimm, Maya Perry, Sarah Strauss and Naama Tsabar. Sound Technician: Katie Lau. Video: Alex Mallis.
Naama Tsabar b. 1982
149.9 x 149.9 x 3.8 cm (with plinth)
Further images
Naama Tsabar’s Melody of Certain Damage series subverts the hyper-masculine, destructive and cathartic action of smashing a guitar on stage by re-thinking the broken pieces back into a functioning object, bringing the sculptural into the realm of the aural and tactile.
Beginning alone in her studio, Tsabar breaks the guitar against her floor. After impact and break, she maps the exact location of each scattered piece and then reconstructs the instrument so that it can once again emit sound. The resulting form of each work from this series operates as an artifact of the studio-based action, while allowing the new instrument to shift into the realm of sonic sculpture.
Her works in this series are exhibited on low lying plinths on the gallery floor, just as one might find them scattered on a stage or in the artist’s studio. Rather than positioning the viewer solely as spectator, Tsabar opens the possibility to activate the artwork through touch. Viewers and performers can rest their bodies on the floor, beside the object, allowing their touch to elicit an emotional and sensual experience, as well as a sonic expression.
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