Sounds from the Swamp by Elana Mann repositions the call to “clean up the swamp” by President Trump, and instead celebrates the sounds, voices, and music emanating from the marshy bayous of Houston. The exhibition takes place in Lawndale’s Mary E. Bawden Sculpture Garden and is accompanied by a series of experimental musical pieces by Houston-based composers—including Emilý Æyer, Anthony Almendárez, Lisa Harris, and Jawwaad Taylor—and a text object by JD Pluecker.

The exhibition features three aluminum and bronze sculptures that blend casts from the human body with bells of wind instruments to create uncanny megaphones that speak to the resiliency of the human voice at a time when dissent is being actively suppressed by our national government.

The accompanying sound pieces produced by collaborating composers are inspired by these sculptural instruments and will be showcased in Instagram live sessions during the run of the exhibition.

In a time of massive crisis, Sounds from the Swamp looks to wetlands and swamps as models for transition, regeneration, and diversity, seeking the local sounds that will move us towards restorative change.

Performances Co-sponsored by Nameless Sound, featuring…

Anthony Almendárez
Lisa Harris
Emilý Æyer
Jawwaad Taylor