Berceuse, 2017

three channel video installation
duration: 5 min 25 sec
edition of 5 + 2AP
POA

In Berceuse, titled from French word for lullaby, Christian Thompson performs a gesture of a re-imagining his traditional language Bidjara, a language now categorised as extinct.

The work is premised on a notion, that if one word of Bidjara is spoken, in this case, in the form of song, it is a living language echoed powerfully in the gallery context. Combining evocative chanting and electronic elements, Thompson invokes the cultural experiences and narrative of his Bidjara culture.

Drawing inspiration from artists such as Meredith Monk, Laurie Anderson and Christian Marclay, the artist firmly places his sound/video work into a distinct and long lineage of artists who incorporate music into their practice. Thompson seeks to allow a sensory experience of language through the vocal textures he creates via the sole use of his voice and simultaneously evokes the textures of the Australian landscape via gentle silhouette forms. Berceuse draws the audience into a space in time, a hypnotic melody that transcends space and time whilst being powerfully connected to the contemporary present.