Flux Projects announces Here Song, an interactive music project by Cannupa Hanska Luger and Ginger Dunnill that will allow users to scan the natural landscapes around them to generate a unique sound composition based on movements in the land. The project is made possible by Fulton County Arts & Culture’s new Virtual Arts Initiative.
The practice of studying horizon lines to create sonic experience and melody is a technology developed by Luger’s ancestors, the people of the Northern Plains tribes of North America. In developing this project, Luger and Dunnill will invite a selection of leading Indigenous composers and musicians to create sounds, which will be used in the application.
“The custom of following the horizon as inspiration from the land is an ancient technology of Indigenous people that I believe is necessary for the survival of our species,” said Luger. “It creates a path for patient observation of place as an antithesis to the extraction of materials. We must reinforce our belonging to place, and this app may be a gentle reminder that the value of land is greater than the materials that make it up.”
Here Song was born from Luger’s participation in Flux Projects’ incubator series, Flux Exchange, where artists are invited to explore Atlanta as a site for a future large-scale public project.
“Flux Projects strives to give artists unique opportunities to realize work and grow their practices,” said Anne Dennington, executive director of Flux Projects. “In this effort, we ask artists what they have always wanted to do, but not had the resources, time, or support to realize. During our early conversations, Cannupa shared his desire to translate his tribe’s practice of ‘singing the horizon’ into an app that would allow a broader audience to experience the practice. It is an honor to support the realization of his vision.”
Major funding for Here Song comes from the Fulton County Arts & Culture’s Virtual Arts Initiative, which was created to support the creative community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this initiative FCAC offered operational support to enhance the arts sector’s ability to present virtual arts programs and creative engagement opportunities for Fulton County residents and visitors.
The application and website are being developed by The UltraMind, Inc., long-term collaborators of Flux Projects.