Assemble

Sènsa is a Bantu word that translates as coming to visibility, to appear, to reveal itself, to make sense. Maheke and Nkisi combine sound, movement and light to make this concept present and embodied; they portray identities lurking in peripheral visions, voices emerging from the margins or lingering in the shadows, in an attempt to set the centers in motion. The term grounds Maheke and Nkisi’s practices in a diasporic imaginary and describes an in-between vision, collaged of stories and diverting sounds and images, constantly in formation, respondent to the room, the audience, and the performer’s actions within them.

Sènsa is a long-term research and performance project by Maheke and Nkisi, developed for Performa in collaboration with Block Universe and Abrons Arts Center. Its final version will premiere in New York in November. With the support of La Maison des Artistes (Paris) and FUSED (NYC)

On September 25th at 21h Volksbühne Berlin Grüner Salon, Paul Maheke and Nkisi present Sènsa, with lighting design by Ariel Efraim Ashbel.
please RSVP via [email protected] as there are only 100 spots available!

Assemble: Paul Maheke & Nkisi. Sènsa

Photo: Sènsa, Paul Maheke & Melika Ngombe Kolongo (Nkisi), Courtesy Block Universe
Credit: Manuela Barczewski



***r ***rness

Mélika Ngombe Kolongo aka Nkisi is a producer, DJ and co-founder of NON Records, a collective of African artists and of the diaspora who use sound as their primary media to articulate the visible and invisible structures creating social binaries, and in turn redistributing power. In producing her own tracks, she maintains a heavily layered, relentless sound, often playing with collective memory. She established herself in London’s underground scene with her vivid sound, which demands full attention and releases exhilarating energy. Her music evokes references from gabber, doomcore and African club as well as the sonic spirals of sci-fi and 1970's Italian horror films. Nkisi’s music and artistic projects are intimate and layer her own inspirations with a careful consciousness to harmonizing each indistinct thread. Her productions reflect deeply on these influences, and result in a sound that is equally relentless and evocative. She makes a statement with her music, but also nurtures, inspires, comforts, and energises.

On September 25th at 21h Volksbühne Berlin Grüner Salon, Paul Maheke, Nkisi and Ariel Efraim Ashbel present Sènsa, a performance combining sound, movement and light, taking its inspiration from the cosmologies of the African Bantu (sub-Saharan language family).
Assemble: Paul Maheke & Nkisi. Sènsa

Please RSVP via [email protected] as there is only 100 spots available!

Photo: Nkisi
Credit: Alan Sahin



***r ***rness