Pro Helvetia Johannesburg

Ugandan audio-visual artist Ian Nnyanzi, who works under the moniker @masaka___masaka, was recently in Switzerland for a research trip to further his ongoing research and situate his work within a global experimental arts context, strengthening professional networks and testing research material in a live, public setting.

The trip was anchored around the three-day @norientsounds festival in Bern. Ian immersed himself in the programming and exchanged with international artists, curators, and researchers working across sound, film, and experimental practices. He also presented a 30-minute live audiovisual performance composed from field recordings gathered in Kampala, combined with archival visual material from his own field research and online archives. The work explored memory, place, and trans-local circulation of sound and images, translating research material into a live performance format.

Following this, Ian played a DJ set at @migrart_ch in Zurich and recorded a radio mix for the independent record label @creakedrecords at their space in Biel/Bienne.

Ian also spent time engaging with the @smemmusic archive in Fribourg, recording sounds directly from a range of electronic music devices and examining their sonic qualities and material designs. He plans to use this digital sound library to enhance and expand his sonic workflow and inform future compositions and live performances.

📸
1-3: Masaka Masaka soundcheck, visual experiments and live performance at Norient
4: Norient community
5: Aura Satz’s pre-emptive listening screening, Norient
6: Yashu Denzongpa - Chapter 2: Words for the Future: A Sonic Fiction Night at Lunaire, Norient
7: Rounak Maiti performance, Norient
8-9: Radio mix at Creaked Records
10-14: SMEM archives and Playroom
__________
#prohelvetia_johannesburg
#prohelvetia_researchtrip