Patricia Ann Repar
for five performers, body percussion, junk metal, tape
Darkness–thin air–tight spaces–twelve-hour shifts–Day in day out.
Working in the gold mines of South Africa black labourers developed a body percussion sequence, the Gumboot, as a way of surviving the intense physical and emotional stresses imposed upon them. Musically demanding and highly entertaing this piece is now internationally known and appreciated.
The Unseen Gumboot, however, reminds us of that which we would probably rather not remember--the context in which the piece was born--the harsh realities of Apartheid and our own potential (yours and mine) for creating horrific moments in human history.