Written by Michael Inge for THE ARTISTS FORUM MAGAZINE
Edited by Amos White V for THE ARTISTS FORUM, INC
Photos: Performance at the Asia Society courtesy of Bora Yoon
Album Art: Courtesy of Bora Yoon
REVIEWER RATING:
5 out of 5 stars
ASIA SOCIETY PRESENTS BORA YOON’S SUNKEN CATHEDRAL
NEW YORK, NY (April 27, 2014) On April 23, Asia Society presented Bora Yoon’s Sunken Cathedral. The performance showcased material from the 2014 TED Fellow’s upcoming album of the same name. From the opening of O Pastor Animarum, as she sang her way to the stage, Yoon’s haunting soprano signaled the journey we were about to embark on.
Part of the thrill of the performance was watching Bora at work telling her stories by using an arsenal of instruments. We witnessed her creating these sounds at various stations on stage — layering vocals, piano, strings, rhythms, as well as using digital devices and found objects. Joining Yoon was Vong Pak who featured traditional Korean dance and drumming. The video projection, designed by Adam Larsen and Jacob McCoy, was also a strong component of the night with powerful, moving videos of kinetic sculptures by U-Ram Choe.
One of the highlights was the rhythmic Jansori Pansori which appears to take place in a kitchen with Bora listening to voicemails from her mother while also using cups and found metal as instruments.
The show concluded with Semaphore Conductus, a surround-sound electro-acoustical choral work which used heartbeats, Morse code, cellphone sounds, and a choir of singers placed around the auditorium.
Bora Yoon’s Sunken Cathedral is a mysterious yet beautiful journey through space by way of sound. If you have an opportunity to experience it live, we recommend you take advantage of it.
Sunken Cathedral is available for purchase beginning April 29th at Innova.mu, iTunes, Amazon, and major online retailers. The iPad graphic album is available for purchase beginning May 13th at iTunes. The Double LP vinyl release begins May 27th at Innova.mu.
See Bora Yoon’s Sunken Cathedral interview on The Artists Forum: AFTV.
For more information about Bora Yoon, visit: borayoon.com
