H-ART. Revista de historia, teoría y crítica de arte

hart. Rev. Hist. Teor. Crit. Arte | eISSN 2590-9126 | ISSN 2539-2263

A Song for Justice: Collaborative Composition in Response to Brutality

No. 11 (2022-05-01)
  • Ian Middleton
    Universidad de los Andes, Colombia.
    ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0606-4606
https://doi.org/10.25025/hart11.2022.06

Abstract

This article narrates the collaborative composition of a song in response to the fatal repression of protests in Cali, Colombia, in 2021, It simultaneously provides an analysis of both the final recording and the mediated interactions of the people involved in its creation. I argue that such online musical collaboration can be a fitting response to situations in which direct protest may put participants at risk. The musical sounds of the song, incorporating elements from participatory practices, are not to be understood simply as representing some possible collaborative ethos. Rather, they are direct evidence of the collaboration among participants, as well as solidarity and empathy with those directly involved in protest and the victims of its repression.

Keywords: Collaborative composition, protest, plunderphonics, solidarity, justice, participatory music

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