“The Night shows no Dawn”  performance (23’) 

“The end of the world? One of the pranks played by anthropocentrism is to suggest that the end of our species will bring about the death of animal and vegetal nature, the end of the earth itself, the fall of the heavens. There is no eschatology that doesn’t assume man’s permanence is necessary for the permanence of everything else. It’s accepted that things may have begun before us; unthinkable that they could ever end after us.” (Guido Morselli, Dissipatio H.G. 1973)

“The Night shows no Dawn” is a sonic exploration into the practice of funeral laments, a formal device used in many cultures to express and contain the emotions of grief. In different parts of the world, such as China, Scandinavia, and the Mediterranean area, during the observances held to commemorate a loss, professional mourners (weepers) lamentations were common. Their dirges were recognized by the whole community for their peculiar musicality that used breathing patterns turned into sobbing sounds, rather than just for the words they were chanting.
In his performance Murphy, like a modern weeper, deals with breathing and sobbing as sounds that allow mourning to become a collective act, as well as soothing noises that may bring along acceptance.
A very personal form of lamenting to accept not just the losses of the past but also the loss of a future.

Performance takes place starting at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. Reservations are recommended. To book your seat please click on the following link.