Article by Fi Read PUBLISHED ON THE CORNISHMEN THURSDAY OCTOBER 3RD 2017
Nothing to do with food, although an auditory feast was Dhyano’s uniquely ‘other’ new show, Dhyanglophone. With a strapline of ‘poetry performance gained in translation’, it was always going to be quirky. Celebrating 20 years in the UK, 15 of those in Cornwall, he’s an Italian media artist with a heart of gold, as performances were by donation for Shelterbox. Poets have to make a living too, so I admire his altruism. I also greatly admire his artistic integrity and work.
profoundly rich and absorbing
With no idea what to expect, we were last minute arrivals at St Ives Arts Club on Friday, clutching our BYO bottle of wine and chocolate, and with no option but to take a seat at the table at the very front, we were instantly asked to don a pair of silent disco headphones. The surround sound effect with its echo delays and loops had to be experienced to be felt, if that makes sense, but was profoundly rich and absorbing. Confusing and consuming, Dhyano’s uniquely personal interpretation of sounds within words played around with the ambiguity of communication.
stunningly original and brilliant
A consummate musician as well, the flute sound chatter he produced wasn’t restricted by the conventional constraints of his instrument, while his technical control, combined with his mesmeric presence drew us into his bizarre world. His wordsmithery, gesticular delivery, thick accent, playfulness and unadulterated zaniness, progressed deeper and deeper, went mental then eased us back out of it. A journey exploring how we interpret sound and how ambiguous that is, I’d never seen or heard anything like it. ‘Eunoia’ he said, which means ‘beautiful thinking’ a condition of receptivity, and happens to be a word that contains every vowel. Stunningly original and brilliant, it’s an ‘ears up’ from me.