Claiming the Echo.
HD, 16:9, 5:25 min
Versión sin subtítulos Aquí
In this work the slogans that are sung at demonstrations in Spain have been adapted into a musical piece, using the composer Henry Purcell's scores as a reference. Since the crisis started, “It's called a Democracy but it's not a Democracy”, “We are not scared” and “These are our weapons” are common phrases at demonstrations, sung in monotone by thousands of people.
In the video a choir called Solfonica sings the piece in an empty theatre. Solfonica is an assembly-based choir that sings only at demonstrations in Madrid, its a "protest choir".
The songs that were composed for the video are now used on by Solfónica as part of their repertoire.
Solfónica playing at a demonstration against the cuts in social services
Solfonica choir rehearsing at Retiro park, Madrid
This work is part of a series of works around protest and authority, and it started with the creation of the Protest Archive. This work wouldn´t have been possible without the Archivo15M and Julia Ramirez Blanco.