On the 9th of August 2024, we held the inauguration for Crafting the Field series #11 by sound artist Christian Mun whose composition is an adaptation of original recordings from the anthropological work of Enrique Basurto Carvo and the Aents Collective with respect to the Awajún master José Ayui Yampis (Nampag); specialist in “Anen” chants (Awajún power chants) and the Awajún instrument “tumag” (mouth harp).

Because of the nature of the original sound recordings from which this composition was based, this collaboration birthed a sort of creative renaissance between an investigator, the master, and the artist with the intention to reawaken a story that speaks about the magic behind the healing or protective spells called 'Anen' with the instrument that conceals and expresses its power. That instrument being the ancestral mouth harp of the Awajún called the 'Tumag' and its master José Ayui Yampis.

This creative work interprets the different layers where cultural parallels create a contemporary perspective on ritual and reality from the premise of territory and its cultures, from the presence of sound and music as a continuous historical action.

"I believe that art is that, to take the tools you have, be it painting, music, video, photography, and do something with them in order to give a culture visibility."

~Christian Mun

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We'd like to thank Enrique, José and Christian for sharing their stories, music, and perspectives with us.

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Read more about this collaboration and the concept behind this piece for Crafting the Field.

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