rea(l)m: Vocal Opacities - A poetic imperative
Throughout the of rea(l)m, there will be live guitar improvisations and performances that resonate through the Metro54 walls, creating new connections in real time. Special guest poets, performers, thinkers, and musicians will contribute their voices and artistry toward PACES THE CAGE, s*an d. henry-smith’s upcoming poetry album.
On March 14th, join us for Vocal Opacities, an evolving series of live improvisations that began as “a study and measure of breath”—a space where diaspora, rage, and cosmic responsibility collide.
This edition is an activation of S*an D. Henry-Smith’s exhibition rea(l)m, that engages with their photographs, poems, and a microphonic guitar amplified through the Metro54 walls.
A space for fluidity and experimentation, Vocal Opacities invites artists, musicians, writers and makers to engage with breath, voice, and poetics in ways that best suit their practices. Expect an evening of sonic offerings and improvisations by:
- - Phantom Wizard:
Phantom Wizard is a composer and multidisciplinary artist whose work dissolves boundaries and reimagines traditions. Rooted in decolonial philosophy and self-taught as a multi-instrumentalist, Phantom Wizard’s artistry developed outside traditional institutions. Emerging from Amsterdam’s Southeast—the city’s historically Caribbean and Afro-diasporic neighbourhood—has profoundly shaped the creative vision. It is here that the Fribari philosophy began to take shape: a fluid, untamed concept that unfolds through compositions, free improvisations, soundscapes and performances.
- - Charleen Mcclure:
Charleen McClure writes and lives a few miles off the Chattahoochee River.
- - Viana Afoumou:
- Brussels-born, Rotterdam-based singer-songwriter Viana Afoumou offers with her project - product of a lifetime - vixnde (pronounced “viande”) an intimate and layered exploration of sound, silence and voice, intertwined with stories and songs. Something like experimental pop.
- - S*an D. Henry-Smith
- S*an D. Henry-Smith (b. 1992, New York) lives and works in Amsterdam. They are an artist working primarily in poetry and photography, and, by extension, vocal and sonic performance and publishing, engaging black experimental and collaborative practices.
Date: March 14, 2025
Time: 7pm
Location: Westerdoksdijk 597
Entrance: Free – RSVP by emailing rsvp@metro54.nl