Maya Shenfeld & Pedro Maia present
Under the Sun
The Jerusalem born, Berlin-based composer enlists the help of the Portuguese filmmaker for an audio-visual live performance showcasing Shenfeld’s upcoming second record.
Echoing Ecclesiastes’s maxim, "There is nothing new under the sun," the artists’ second collaboration alters the original quote to create a tension between the stoic philosophy it implies – the sense of futility and eternal return – and the possibility that this might actually not be the case in light of climate change and other looming challenges, both personal and planetary. Through a cycle of electroacoustic pieces for analogue synths, woodwinds, voice, and field recordings, as well as imagery shot at the world’s deepest marble quarries in the south of Portugal under the scorching sun on the hottest day of the hottest summer on record, Shenfeld and Maia explore change and repetition, deep time and the ephemeral moment, equilibrium and imminent threat. Maia’s live cinema technique of analogue film processing is brought into dialogue with Shenfeld’s layered textural compositions to create a hauntingly immersive and radiant audio visual experience.
In her practice, Shenfeld explores the intersection between modes of musical production used in popular, electronic, and experimental music. Her debut solo album In Free Fall was released on Thrill Jockey records in January 2022 and was the number one alternative album of the year on Stereogum. A graduate of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and the University of the Arts (UdK) Berlin – where she completed a MA in classical guitar and contemporary music composition – her work also includes sound installations and soundtrack scores.
Pedro Maia is a Portuguese filmmaker working predominantly with 16mm and 8mm film, pushing the boundaries and aesthetic of analog cinema by manipulating the raw materials and challenging the traditional process. His work has been presented and exhibited at renowned film festivals, institutions and galleries worldwide, and he has contributed to projects with Patti Smith, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Lucrecia Dalt, and has presented solo performances as well collaborations with musicians such such as Shackleton, Shapednoise, Shxcxchcxsh, Tropic of Cancer, Craig Leon, Lee Ranaldo, Fennesz, Nisennenmondai, and more at leading festivals all over the globe.
http://www.mayashenfeld.com/home/
https://mayashenfeld.bandcamp.com/