SAY WATT? AT LA GAÎTÉ LYRIQUE

Posted 11 July 2013

This summer, la Gaîté Lyrique is cranking up the sound, but mostly, they are “showing” sound, to shed light on an unsung aspect of the musical, social and artistic underground: the sound system! What started out as nothing more than a portable disco in the ghettos of Jamaica or in U.S. basements in the 50s has revolutionised the way we listen to music. The sound system also has the unique quality of having been, throughout the years and as needed, an artistic, religious and political loudspeaker. For the very first time, an exhibition comes along that explores the technical component at the root of all forms of contemporary urban music, which played a part in the birth of major musical movements. But not just that: by claiming its codes for themselves, many contemporary artists also ended up bringing their own vision to “sound system culture” over the years, by questioning sound’s colonization of public space. Installations, photography, video, sound experiments, concert premieres: the exhibition “Say Watt? The Cult of the Sound System” takes you on a journey in search of the original form of contemporary musical expression.
Until 25 Aug. 2-8pm; Tue 2-10pm; Sun 2-7pm. Closed Mon.
3 bis rue Papin, 3rd. www.gaite-lyrique.net/