Satch Hoyt: Afro-Sonic Mapping Chapter 4

Satch Hoyt’s solo exhibition, Afro-Sonic Mapping Chapter 4, is an installation that integrates two major bodies of work: his series of Afro-Sonic Mapping paintings and a new Un-Muting sound composition. In different ways, both consider the histories of trans-Atlantic slavery and how museum collections hold these colonial legacies.

Hoyt’s practice as a visual artist, musician and composer explores sonic and visual culture as a space where identity takes shape and histories become seen, heard, and reimagined.

In his Afro-Sonic Mapping paintings, Hoyt charts voyages ranging from colonial slave ship to Afro-futuristic spaceship, depicting ‘Black Atlantic’ journeys that are both historical and imaginary. These journeys begin with the forced voyages from the African continent during the transatlantic slave trade of the millions captured and enslaved – people who carried with them sounds, languages and stories. Un-muting Beyond Misspelt Borders is a newly commissioned sound work composed, produced and performed by Satch Hoyt. He describes Un-Muting as a long-term project of ‘sonic restitution’ where he activates historical African musical instruments by playing them for the first time after decades or centuries of storage in Western museum collections.

Opening event: Friday 3 Oct (6–9pm) with an artist performance at 8.15pm.

Curator’s Talks for Afro-Sonic Mapping Chapter 4: 10 Oct and 14 Nov (1–2pm).

Afro-Sonic Mapping Chapter 4 is supported by the Goethe-Institut London. Un-Muting Beyond Misspelt Borders was commissioned by Nottingham Contemporary with the support of Nottingham Contemporary Commissioning Circle.