βRitual II – A Head Cloud of Starlings Murmur the Songs Cloaked Amplifiers Singβ is the sequential-successor to βRitual I – A Solitudinal;β. It is the second movement of a larger work titled βRitualβ, and the second single from the forthcoming album βDestroyertonesβ. This piece of music speaks to anxiety, stress, and overwhelm, written from the perspective of a clinically extremely vulnerable person mid-pandemic (recorded in March of 2020).
We have teamed up with Sean to give you the exclusive first airing of the video, along with his insightful commentary about this piece, his art in general, and the state of the world today, also through the lenses of the current crisis in Ukraine.
“When I listen to it, I feel the stress in the crushing weight of sounds, the relatively fast tempo, the degree of chaotic, destructive, distorted processing. I feel my search for Catharsis.” – comments Sean.
“This is one of the heaviest pieces in my armoury of compositions and I used to fear Iβd gone too far with the destroyer processing. However, in states of overwhelm in the latter part of 2020, I would indulge it, and feel it speak to the weight of my emotions.”
“I wished to expand its nature into a visual space with the support of three phenomenal artists.” – he continues.
“The first of whom is Claire Addicott, whose photography frames the entire Destroyertones project. The second and third are Cressida Williams and Rory Joseph. Cressida is a filmmaker whose work collages analogue and digital abstraction. Rory is a musician, sound artist, and visual effects artist. Their interpretation portrays isolation and movement through a visual exploration of Bristol’s green spaces. Forced through circuitry these glitched visuals matched with trance-inducing drones show a representation of nature morphed by oneβs mental state on long therapeutic walks.”
πΌπ‘ πππ ππππ π π π‘πππππ ππππππ‘ π‘π ππ ππππππππ‘πππ πππ‘ π€ππ‘β π‘βπ π€ππππ ππ ππ‘π ππππ πππ‘ π π‘ππ‘π, ππ’π‘ πππ‘ πππ πππ£π π βπππ πππ ππ’ππππ π π‘π π‘βππππ πππ π βππ’ππ π ππππ π‘π π‘βπ π‘ππππ .
“These are overwhelming times, our brains are not wired for this level of cognitive processing; trying to plan for the unpredictable, when violent consequences are being thrown around, and every mouthpiece has a place to weigh in, hot-taking for grab at a piece of the light (I am aware of the irony in writing this).
All people fleeing warzones deserve support, a truth intersectional across all races, classes, and identities. However, disparities can form where institutional oppressions present themselves. The response to the Ukrainian-Russian conflict has once again highlighted how institutional racism shapes so many people’s realities and lived experiences; black people facing racist border control escaping from Ukraine; the mediaβs elevated response to supporting refugees when they are white; the Eurostar suddenly offering free transport to refugees when parallels arent offered to others escaping crises; colonial land occupiers calling for action whilst hiding the violence in their unattended garden. These are teachable moments. Some people have given support via Air BnB, which is great, especially considering the waivered booking fees. However, considerations also need to be made for the people who do not have access to such resources.
Class analysis begs questions about our relationships with power; have we not more in common with the citizens of another country than we do with our own leaders? Surely the greater the access to resources we have, the more leverage we have? This creates an intersectional complexity where we must consider our places in the world; to whom we recognise kinship and the ways in which we can be supportive. The pandemic response in UK and the changes in law serving to attack the trans community in Texas both highlight how Governmentsβ interests are distinct from the individuals they supposedly represent. The gathering conflicts are further examples of this; the interests of the state ahead of the safety of civilians.
I want to give a shout-out to people who are helping to give positive shape to the chaos from above, many of whom need resources to move forward. If you are feeling disconnected and overwhelmed, want to contribute to some sense of community, and have resources spare, perhaps consider giving. Itβs so important to remember to take time for yourself in these moments too. You canβt spill from an empty cup. The world needs a good ally, not a perfect burnout.”
All money raised from this single for the remainder of March will be divided between these organisations.
Operation Solidarity
Operation Solidarity is a network of anarchists working on the principles of mutual aid and solidarity. The focus of their operation is Ukraine: Providing mutual aid to people on the run, supporting movements of emancipatory forces in defence against the Russian imperialist war, and developing an infrastructure of solidarity with anarchists and anti-fascists from all over the world. Despite the incredible willingness to help people in need on Ukraineβs western borders, a humanitarian crisis is on the horizon. The logistics of bringing basic supplies to fleeing families are just as expensive as the fight against the enemies of freedom.
DEC (Disaster Emergency Comitee)
An amalgamation of 15 leading UK aid charities to raise funds quickly and efficiently at times of crisis overseas.
Supporting transgender children in Texas
There are several non-profits working to challenge the recent 30+ anti-trans laws imposed on Texans. I found a Twitter thread with many intersectional organisations, working with trans individuals from different communities. This includes Equality Texas, TENT, and Lambda Legal.
