{"id":40124,"date":"2021-01-13T15:30:18","date_gmt":"2021-01-13T20:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/?p=40124"},"modified":"2021-01-13T18:16:52","modified_gmt":"2021-01-13T23:16:52","slug":"playing-detroit-kesswa-shigeto-mocad-collab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/playing-detroit-kesswa-shigeto-mocad-collab\/","title":{"rendered":"Kesswa Collabs with Shigeto on MOCAD-Commissioned Short Film “Is My Mind A Machine Gun?”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photo Credit: Ian Solomon \/\/ Makeup: Jay Orellana<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Is My Mind a Machine Gun? <\/em>This is the question vocalist, songwriter and producer Kesiena “Kesswa” Wanogho asks on her latest collaboration with interdisciplinary artist and musician Zach Saginaw, a.k.a Shigeto<\/a>. The audio\/visual experience exemplifies two artists in their rawest, most honest forms, willing to experiment. Released exclusively on January 1st via The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit\u2019s (MOCAD) brand new media platform, Daily Rush<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>the film gives the viewer a look inside the minds of the artists and finds chaos, introspection and growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mantra is at the center of Kesswa\u2019s work. Highlighted by her 2019 EP, Soften<\/a><\/em>, Kesswa has an inherent ability for distilling the most complicated of dreams, desires and anxieties into only a few simple words. Is My Mind a Machine Gun? <\/em>starts with her chanting, \u201cOh my love, tell me now if you want me.\u201d Slowly, she builds an entire world around those words, layering her voice to present a sense of urgency. It\u2019s not immediately clear who \u201cmy love\u201d is, which leaves space for the listener to reflect and insert themselves. Maybe it\u2019s the voice of an artistic self left behind, coming now to reclaim its vessel. Maybe it\u2019s our own voice, calling out in uncertainty to a love we\u2019re afraid to lose.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whomever Kesswa is speaking to, she responds to her own question with calming reassurance – There\u2019s no doubt about it<\/em> – all while flashing lights, street view vignettes, and Kesswa\u2019s body language suggest forward motion. The visual echoes Kesswa\u2019s centering message: as long as you are true to yourself, you are on the right path.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ephemeral visual is accentuated with soothing waves of harp played by Ahya Simone<\/a>; its sedative sounds contrast with the disorienting flashes of light, replicating the feelings of dissociation and anxiety that can accompany a dream. Slowly, the harp fades and is replaced by deliberate percussion. This sonic change seems to signal clarity and determination, as Kesswa transitions from repetitive chants to a string of crystal clear affirmations:\u00a0“I\u2019ve got a creeping intuition\/I\u2019m on a mission, clearly\/It\u2019s in my heartbeat and my eyes gleam\/The stillness inside of me\/I\u2019m impulsive but I\u2019m brave\/Insisting on myself\/I\u2019m determined but I\u2019m earnest\/I am kind, I am worthy\/Inherently.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I caught up with Kesswa to find out more about the creative process behind this project.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IS MY MIND A MACHINE GUN?

KESSWA & @__SHIGETO<\/a>

now playing at https:\/\/t.co\/ykETvnvs6m<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/5S9uqMDcuA<\/a><\/p>— MOCAD (@MOCAD) January 1, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>