The Norient Special Promise of Catharsis: South American Perspectives on the Pandemic gathers three essays, a podcast, and a mixtape by South American writers and artists. They investigate how the pandemic and its shift from off- to online affects experimental music scenes in South America. The contributions are inspired by the In/Out Festival 2020 that brought together collectives from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Uruguay to showcase their work through pandemic suitable formats. Edited by Philipp Rhensius.

  • Ensamble Maleza (photo: [e.]).
    The Silence of Overcrowded Spaces
    Short Essay by Sonandes
    The pandemic has been reshaping the experience of life from offline to online. The project «Espaciaro» in Bolivia shown at the «In/Out Festival» attempts to rethink this by exploring new listening narratives, while questioning the ubiquity of social media platforms.
  • Ensamble Tropi – «MODULAR» (photo: In/Out Festival).
    The Promise of Freedom
    Short Essay by Guilherme Werneck
    In audiovisual art, images tend to distract or enhance the supposed meaning of music. The performance «Modular» by the Argentinian Ensamble Tropi at «In/Out Festival» creates a productive dialogue between enhanced dichotomies produced by the COVID-19 pandemic: The open space of nature and the confinement of private places.
  • «Tormenta in Marsha» (photo: In/Out Festival).
    Queer Survival Strategies in Digital Worlds
    Short Essay by Paulete LindaCelva
    In Brazil, LGBTQIA+ people have always been living under conditions of emergency. The current pandemic has only intensified this. However, the web has become an even more important safe space to imagine non-hegemonic futures. Read a statement by the Brazilian curator and DJ Paulete LindaCelva who took part in the performance «Tormenta in Marsha» at «In/Out Festival».
  • Screenshort «Expedición en la Bahía Electromagnética» by SOCO Festival & Territorio Específico (photo: In/Out Festival).
    Nothing Is Complete
    Podcast by Sol Rezza, Franco Falistoco
    In this Norient podcast, the sound artists Sol Rezza and Franco Falistoco investigate the notions of creating in times of pandemic and building ties between people. It is based on several audios collected at the «In/Out Festival».
  • mixtape_cathartic_sounds_from_south_america_chico_dub_gabriel_massan.jpg
    Cathartic Sounds from South America
    Mixtape by Chico Dub
    While the world is on pause, the music plays on. Listen to a wild Norient mixtape by Chico Dub, curator of the «In/Out Festival». It reflects the marginalized music scenes in South America affected by the coronavirus, from endangered local street musicians to native communities, and transgender activist groups.