TL005. Shoshana Rosenberg - A Gold Ring in a Pig's Snout
My voice, becoming:
In every epoch, within every culture, women have always been fenced in. Womanhood is earned through life-long discipline. To be a woman is to mend what others have torn; to be mute, or transpose one’s speech to suit others’ tone; to shrink so that physical and emotional spaces can be “better used”; to be brave, but only tacitly so, and only in order to serve and protect a greater and more worthy group of folks. This truth manifests itself in physical reality. That is to say, a true woman is a broken woman; backs, jaws, fingers, hearts, psyches. As we push ourselves through each barrier, we fissure. Some splinters calcify, some never truly heal, and some force us to succumb to the disease our bodies already bear. A woman is a set of fractures. What can she do with her permanent-yet-ephemeral body and self? What avenues exist for growth, repair, self-care, and healing? Even our adornments are scorned. Somehow they remain either contrast or compliment to our faults. Never celebrated, or their absence mourned. I grieve for each year I kept away from decorating my flaws, and from rubbing scented oils on old, remindful scars. I weep at each moment where my boldness and femininity were denied their natural bond. I wear a ring in my nose so that these truths remain close.
“Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.”
- Proverbs 11:22
Limited ed. 50 casettes with a double-sided J-card featuring the artist's statement, released January 19, 2016.
Shoshana Rosenberg is a queer, Jewish, eternal novice. Through experiments with the bass clarinet in meditation, chanting and traditional Klezmer music, she seeks to explore harmony and space. In her cultivation of transparent relationships with audiences, Shoshana allows witness to her increasingly complex dialogue between player and instrument, with all its failures and successes.
A Gold Ring in a Pig's Snout features a rework by Aviva Endean. Remixes coming soon by Papaphilia, InfraGhosts & Makeda - all of this curated by Ari Sharp of (no)signal).
Cover art is a still from "Soft Shock" (2015) by Kate Power.
This release was made possible by Tone List's commissioning project for women in experimental music, fully supported by Tura New Music.
Press
"I quite enjoyed these pieces, even when a solo instrument is not always something that I like...Most enjoyable." Frans de Waard @ Vital Weekly
"Through experiments with the bass clarinet, chanting and traditional Klezmer music, this emotionally charged EP conveys a powerful message about womanhood." Top 5 Experimental Releases of 2017. Scarlett de Maio @ Music Australia
"the dolorous music on the tape makes sense as a heartfelt plaint, a mournful but undefeated cry of pain. It is honest and unflinching music, and presented in a clear no-nonsense manner which leaves the listener little room to manoeuvre." Ed Pinsent @ The Sound Projector
