Performative Lecture: Negus by Invernomuto

22 Jun 2023 6.30-8pm

Overview

Negus (2011–2016) is a cross-media project that explores the convergence of history, myth, and magic through the ambivalent and manifold legacies of Ethiopia’s last emperor Haile Selassie I.

Embodied through Lee “Scratch” Perry—godfather of dub music and foundational to the sound and culture of reggae—Negus evokes a spiritual ghost hovering over Black Ark, Perry’s personal recording studio in Kingston, Jamaica that he burned to the ground in the 80s. At the same time, Perry becomes a master of the ritual fire ceremony performed in the artists’ hometown of Vernasca, Northern Italy, to re-invoke the spirit of Ethiopia’s last emperor. As part of All the Birds Sing Bass, this scene kicks off Invernomuto’s presentation at Nottingham Contemporary, browsing through the Negus’ archives, Invernomuto will explore peripheral notions of infrasonics, touching upon other projects developed in the latest years.

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