A piece of clay dropping in a ceramic pot is the centerpiece of Leilehua Lanzilotti’s sound installation (single-channel video directed by Lanzilotti, cinematography by Gahlord Dewald) in the “Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within” exhibit at The Noguchi Museum in Queens, New York.
Lanzilotti, a 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist in music, released their latest album, “the sky in our hands, our hands in the sky” in June. Tracks on the album—which honors ceramicist Takaezu’s work—recreate the sounds of these “clay rattles” using violin, cello, piano, and percussive instruments. Tracks in the first movement, entitled “for Toshiko,” are contemplative, filled with long pauses and silences; tracks in the second movement, entitled “sending messages,” find a sense of urgency. The final track, “the sky in our hands, our hands in the sky” is designed to mimic what it might be like to live inside one of Takaezu’s ceramic works.
Lanzilotti, a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) composer and sound artist, embraces their Hawaiian upbringing and heritage in their work, whether that be by recreating the multisensory experience of Hawai’i or incorporating Hawaiian music, art, history, and literature into their compositions. For Lanzilotti, these works invite people to listen in new ways by paying attention to objects, people, and places that aren’t often given a voice. Their next project, “Liliʻu,” an opera that celebrates the legacy of the last Queen of Hawaiʻi, is set to be completed by 2025.
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