Akeroyd Collection

Works

Sonia Boyce, FEELING HER WAY, 2022

The four-channel video, Feeling Her Way is taken from a larger installation and immersive experience, first staged within the British Pavilion of the 59th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, of the same title. Filmed at renowned studios such as Abbey Road Studios in London (Poppy Ajudha, Jacqui Dankworth MBE, Tanita Tikaram, and composer Errollyn Wallen CBE) and Atlantis Studios in Stockholm (experimental vocalist, Sofia Jernebrg), the videos offer a glimpse into the transformative power of shared musical expression and the exploration of new creative possibilities.

This four-channel Feeling Her Way video, is infused with the collaborative dynamism of three, highly acclaimed, intergenerational Black female singers celebrated for their impressive vocal abilities. They are brought together in unstructured, vulnerable ways following instructions from composer, Errollyn Wallen. The vocalists share a common thread of jazz and soul influences, as well as extended vocalizations, yet the work captures the singers as they meet for the first time (at Abbey Road Studios, with a remote duet between Sofia and Jacqui via Atlantis Studios), where they explore spontaneous collaboration, placing an emancipatory faith in unknowable outcomes.

The videos across the installation resonate with a tapestry of sounds – sometimes harmonious, sometimes discordant – exemplifying sensations of freedom, power, and vulnerability. Each screen is infused with a subtle, individual hue adjustment, adding to the vibrancy and discombobulating dazzle of the larger installation wallpapers.

Within the installation, mirrored, gold, irregularly shaped objects, fragment and implicate the presence and the gaze of the viewers as they pass by, engendering a communal feeling not born of a specific outcome, but pointing towards the extent of shared experience. This demonstration of collaborative play serves as a testament to the potential of collective innovation; a theme that runs through Boyce's wider artistic practice.

MediumFour-channel video
Duration12 minutes 28 seconds
Editionof 5 + 1 AP + 1 EC