Alumni

Alumni

Bongeziwe Mabandla’s Third Album Makes American Songwriter’s List Of Top 20 Albums Of 2020

U.S. based music publication American Songwriter named Bongeziwe Mabandla’s album iimini, one of its top albums of 2020. Released in June of 2020, iimini, which translates to ‘days’, is a concept album about the demise of a relationship, sung in Xhosa. It was recorded over the course of 21 days in 2019, in Johannesburg and Maputo, alongside Mozambican musician, songwriter and producer Tiago Correia-Paulo. iimini is rooted in South African traditions as well as American soul. Upon its release, Bongeziwe said “I’ve always loved listening to lyrics. South Africans love storytelling in a song and I am led by a desire to be part of that tradition when writing.” Read American Songwriter’s full feature here. Listen to iimini below.    
Alumni

Sacramento Knoxx Named Resident Artist At University of Michigan

2017 Fellow Sacramento Knoxx will be an Education and Community Engagement Research Resident Artist at the University of Michigan this winter. In this residency, Knoxx will base his work on traditional Anishinaabe teachings to explore themes of environmental justice, exploitation, and the connection between the spirit and the land. Knoxx said: “I want to bring Anishinaabe teachings into this phase of winter, as traditionally that’s when a lot of stories get told and shared. It’s in alignment with Anishinaabe cultural ways and lifestyles, and it feels amazing to share it with others. It’s all about creating the magic in the music, because sometimes when you’re in the studio by yourself, the magic stays there. This is a good opportunity to show the ingredients and to share the entire process, and uncover gems for everyone to share in.” Click here to read an interview with Knoxx via University of Michigan’s website.
Alumni

Wu Siou Ming’s New Audio-Visual Installation Featured in The Taiwan Times

The Taiwan Times interviewed sound designer and 2015 Fellow Wu Siou Ming about his latest exhibition in Taipei, “Tastes Record – Surrounding Spectrum of Traditional Market”. The audio-visual installation explores the consequences of rapid urbanization through photographs and sounds from Taiwanese traditional markets. Ming used an AI music program to generate music by calculating the color parameters inside the images featured in the piece. On his inspiration for the piece, Ming said, “I see that many of us today look to the West for the ‘ideal’ standards of beauty. But, instead of pursuing beauty elsewhere, I hope we could take a step back to look inward and observe our surroundings – then, perhaps we could also learn to appreciate the aesthetics of our homeland.” Read the full interview here. Images courtesy of Wu Siou Ming: