Evishchen, full-body musician in Mao in Turin.

The sonic universe of Evishchen, the stage name of Chinese Californian Victoria Shen, is so special and innovative that none other than Beyoncé copied it. In a video filmed for British Vogue, the pop star used “Needle Nails” – special acrylic nails with built-in turntable needles, invented by Evishion, who uses them in his performances to play up to 5 tracks of the record at the same time. It is her ingenuity that makes her special, and her desire to break away from harmonic and rhythmic musical conventions with instruments designed and built by herself.

The sound engineer from San Francisco will be a guest at Mao tomorrow at 7:00 pm for the third session of the public program created to celebrate the reorganization of the ‘Buddha10 Reloaded’ exhibition. The review, curated by Chiara Lee and Freddie Murphy, combines tradition, experimentation, globalization and echoes of the future. “Shen’s performance practice is very close to a collective ritual,” they explain. His work is based on the physicality of sound and its relationship to the human body through the use of analog modular synthesizers, vinyl/resin records and homemade electronic instruments.”

Just like nails and other items. “The comb in his hands is a melody generator,” they continue. She used contact microphones on him, and during the performance, combing his hair becomes a way to create music with sounds that change and amplify. Or she transforms into a musical instrument by inserting a special string into her foot and then playing it with a bow. His research focuses on the power that sound has in creation in relation to the physical.”

Evishchen’s artistic study is an exploration of the relationship that exists between vibration and the gesture that evokes it, which in turn enters into a dialogue with the moment and place in which it radiates. “I think my way of making music is the conceptual modernist approach,” she explained to herself. I’m trying to get away from any historical references in order to create a kind of musical discourse on its own that is not meant to take you anywhere other than the “here and now”. I believe that audio, which is traditionally distinct from “signal”, is the best language to achieve this. In this case, the sound is a signal, which, however, if presented without the correct context, has no meaning. For this reason, I include my body as a point of involvement, trying to make the connection between the sound produced and the gesture that produces it as direct as possible, a sort of embodied sound. It is also important for me to address and draw attention to the place where the performance takes place, in order to once again emphasize the specificity of the moment.”

Thus, the premises of the Museum of Oriental Art will themselves become part of the exhibition. “Holding events in a museum is important both for the place itself and for the artists,” Chiara Lee and Freddie Murphy conclude. The audience that uses it is diverse and much more attentive than the audience where concerts usually take place. Artists are welcomed into unusual spaces, rather than specially designated rooms, to physically get closer to the listener without creating barriers between those who exhibit them and those who use them, resulting in more intimate communication. For the museum, this represents an opportunity, as it becomes a receptacle not only for historical objects, but also for artists who from time to time engage in dialogue with the collections present and somehow renew their meaning, connecting the exhibition space with the present.” .