So says the drum
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A Brazilian duo based in Cologne: percussion as a medium of communication and collective memory—a live performance that combines ritual, improvisation, and technological experimentation, opening up new forms of transmedia sound art.
In Brazil, the home country of Bella Comsom and Bruna Cabral, the drum represents far more than just rhythm. It is regarded as an ancient technology and a coded language: a medium of communication and collective memory that also reflects experiences of resistance and community.
The two Cologne-based artists now take up this complex tradition in their new program. It may seem surprising at first that Comsom and Cabral, of all people, are bringing this idea to life: after all, both have participated in numerous transdisciplinary, experimentally oriented projects in the past. The central theme of Bella Comsom’s artistic practice revolves around the concept of “Catching without Capturing”: colonial gestures are to be countered by music-making based on reciprocity. She works with reactive light installations and electronic manipulations, transforming sounds and noises into immersive soundscapes while also incorporating natural motifs such as distorted bird calls. Bruna Cabral, on the other hand, masterfully wields her drumsticks. Synthetic sounds blend with Brazilian rhythms and performative elements—a sonic language that can also be experienced impressively on Cabral’s solo debut album, “Mana.”
“That’s what the drum says”—a prophetic statement. But what does it actually say? Perhaps not a message that can be translated into words, but a language all its own: one made up of rhythm, memory, and resonance.
"So says the drum" is supported by Musikfonds e.V. and the Kunststiftung NRW.
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