2017
NAZCA TRANSMISSIONS audio with recorded introduction by Duncan played over a custom PA system for Momentum9 Biennial: Alienation.
Moss, Norway
Curated by Jacob Lillemose
Listen to an excerpt
“On Christmas Eve, 2004, John Duncan received a mysterious email from an archaeologist working at the site of the Nazca Lines in Peru. He claimed to have discovered, and over time recorded, a variety of sounds actually generated by the enigmatic lines themselves.” The enigmatic archaeologist, who called himself Anton Düder, asked Duncan if he’d be interested to use the files to compose new sound works.
Duncan created a 5-track piece with the material and sent it to the mysterious archaeologist. He never heard back from him. The musician claims that a hard disk crash erased all trace of the email correspondence between them.
The artist’s composition is broadcast inside an old museum theater in downtown Moss. It’s an uncanny experience. I doubt anyone believes Duncan’s story but what is certain is that the tracks are eerie, they left me slightly on edge, distressed and unsure the sounds were not playing with my brain. Which is a bit upsetting but also a sure sign that the artist has found his own way to translate the mystery of the ancient geoglyphs into equally perplexing auditory effects.
— Regine