Sara
Wolfert Head Channel & Lion - Waking of the Sleeping Lion Ear
Sara Wolfert, Head Channel & Lion- Waking of the Sleeping Lion Ear (2020), animation
Sara Wolfert, Head Channel & Lion- Waking of the Sleeping Lion Ear (2020) is made available online, click vimeo link above for fullscreen.
Sara Wolfert 'Head Channel & Lion - Waking of the Sleeping Lion Ear' (2020) Animation, 18 min Format: 16:9 Language: English Manuscript & Animation by: Sara Wolfert Voiced by: John Seth Sound by: Thomas Jansson Post production and animation help from: Simon Karlsson (Gulfilm), Karl Stigland Online by: Julia Stanislawska
Entrée presents Sara Wolfert's
installation Head Channel &
Lion - Waking of the Sleeping Lion Ear, a work that has arisen from
her interest in a copyright case around a famous song, best known as "The
Lion Sleeps Tonight", with previous titles "Wimoweh" and
"Mbube". A song that Norwegians probably know best from the movie
"The Lion King". The song, which has been a major hit several times
(in various forms) during the 20th century, became the subject of scandal when
it was revealed in the early 2000s that the original author had been completely
erased from the history of the song's origins. Solomon Linda, the author, was
active as a singer in Johannesburg in the first half of the 20th century. He
died as a poor man in 1962, around the same time that the do-wop band The
Tokens, on the other side of the Atlantic, dropped the mega hit version of
his song. Through the songs’ long and prosperous path, it has been
performed, sampled, copied and used by several different artists and record
companies without there being any reference to Solomon Linda. It would
take decades of transatlantic transaction, controversy and full on theft before
the truth of the song was brought into light. When the story was finally told,
it received attention and the ripple effects that would eventually lead
to legal prosecution in a situation ‘against all odds’. Sara Wolfert
brings the story into a broader framework, with an installation that includes
sculpture, animation and performative elements.
Sara Wolfert (b.1980, Sweden) lives and works between Stockholm and Berlin. She
graduated from Konstfack University in Stockholm. Her artistic practice focuses
on storytelling, manuscripts, archives and appropriation in various
forms. Questions that are central to her practice are who has access to, and
the opportunity to use, our public and semi-public spaces. She often uses
historical or contemporary events as a starting point for her investigative
research, and is interested in intertwined authorship and different types of
collaboration. She employs media such as drawing, animation, installation, text
and performance.
Sara Wolfert, Spinning Wheel (CMYK) (2020), ceramic, stone plaster, acrylic (left), Studies for a Stage II (2019), wood, steel (right).
//norsk//
Entrée
presenterer Sara Wolferts installasjon Head
Channel & Lion - Waking of the Sleeping Lion Ear, et arbeid som
har oppstått fra hennes interesse i en opphavsrettslig sak rundt en berømt
sang, mest kjent som ”The Lion Sleeps Tonight” med tidligere titler som
”Wimoweh” og ”Mbube”. En sang som vi nordmenn nok kjenner best fra filmen ”Løvenes
konge”. Sangen, som har vært en megahit flere ganger (i forskjellige former)
under 1900-tallet, ble emne for skandale da det kom frem i begynnelsen av
2000-tallet at den opprinnelige opphavsmannen helt hadde blitt slettet fra
historien om sangens opprinnelse. Solomon Linda, opphavsmannen, var aktiv som
sanger i Johannesburg i første halvdel av 1900-tallet. Han døde fattig i 1962,
omtrent rundt samme tid som do-wop-bandet The Tokens på den andre siden av
Atlanteren slapp megahit-varianten av hans låt. Under sangens lange seierstog,
har den blitt samplet og kopiert av flere ulike artister og plateselskap uten
noen referanse til Solomon Linda. Det skulle ta mange tiår med transatlantisk
transaksjon, kontrovers og fullverdig tyveri, før sannheten til denne sangen
ble oppdaget. Da historien endelig ble fortalt, fikk det oppmerksomhet og
opprop med ringvirkninger som førte til rettslig påtale, mot alle odds.
Sara Wolfert bringer historien inn i et bredere rammeverk, med en installasjon
som vil inkluderer skulptur, animasjon og performative element.
Sara Wolfert (f.1980, Sverige) bor og arbeider mellom Stockholm og Berlin. Hun har
sin utdannelse fra Konstfack universitet i Stockholm. Hennes kunstneriske
praksis fokuserer på historiefortellingen, manuskripter, arkiv og appropriering i ulike former. Spørsmål som står sentralt i hennes praksis er
hvem som har tilgang til, og mulighet for å ta i bruk vårt offentlige og
semi-offentlige rom. Hun bruker ofte historiske eller nåtidige hendelser som
utgangspunkt for sin undersøkende granskning og tar ofte i bruk sammenflettede
forfatterskap og samarbeid. Hun tar i bruk utrykk som tegning, animasjon,
installasjon, tekst og performance.
Sara Wolfert, Ear Channel (above), Grip (under). Photo: Thor Brødreskift
Sara Wolfert, Lion Sauce (2018), animation
Sara Wolfert, Head Channel & Lion- Waking of the Sleeping Lion Ear (2020), animation (detail).
Sara Wolfert, Lion Channels (2020), drawing on acoustic isolation foam, steel
Sara Wolfert, Lion Channels (2020), drawing on acoustic isolation foam, steel (detail)
Sara Wolfert, Ear Channel (2017), mixed material (above), Grip (2019), drawing on vinyl (under).
Sara Wolfert, Painted Lion (2018), animation
Sara Wolfert, Spinning Wheel (CMYK) (2020), ceramic, stone plaster, acrylic (detail)
Sara Wolfert, Perennial Dig (2020), steel, wood, ceramic
Sara Wolfert, Spinning Wheel (CMYK) (2020), ceramic, stone plaster, acrylic (detail)