Anthem by Wu Tsang

Originally commissioned by the Guggenheim in New York, Anthem is a large-scale sound and video collaboration between artist Wu Tsang and folk icon Beverly Glenn-Copeland. Together they tap into an anthemic energy that predates propaganda or nation building. Instead, the work evokes an earlier practice of spirituals—an oral tradition, originally passed from one slave generation to the next, that forms the root of most popular music.

Loudness and uniformity is abandoned as Glenn-Copeland's otherworldly voice reverberates within St Paul Cathedral's landmark gothic architecture. He leads us through ambiguous vocal timbres, playful call-and-response, and evolving tints of ambient sound, as visual textures evolve against 25-metre-high silk screen.

In Glenn-Copeland's words, music gives him a chance to connect to a 'universal broadcast system' and feel messages sent by the universe. Now’s our chance to tune in. Move among the repurposed pews and stay as long as you wish.

Part of RISING.