…Hold, 2, 3, 4…

2019

Sound Installation

In …Hold 2 3 4…, Anderson juxtaposes the performance of tactical breathing employed in modern day warfare with Fanon’s notion of ‘combat breathing,’ in which a colonised ‘individual’s breathing is an observed breathing,’ exposing the effect of occupation on the Black body and mind. In the work Anderson’s voice guides you in a simple breathing exercise that upon initial encounter can be understood as a means to calm you for what lies ahead, but as it progresses, you understand that to continue to follow the instructions would be a fatal error for the participant. The sound of Anderson’s voice in the work haunts the other gallery spaces as it bleeds through, always reminding the audience of their own body and their own mortality.

Vocals by Kat Anderson

Music composed by Leisha Thomas

The work was commissioned by Block 336 in partnership with Black Cultural Archives with support from Arts Council England, Elephant Trust, Lux, Spike Island, Black Thrive and Lambeth Mind.