The Pusher: A Sound Walk with Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste

Call me Subwoofer, cause I pump base like that

– Pusha T on “Grindin’” by Clipse, 2002

 

“Here with tombstones in their eyes

‘Cause the pusher don’t care”

– “The Pusher” by Nina Simone, 1974

Join us Saturday, October 30, for a series of soundwalks through Richmond’s Arts District and Jackson Ward with artist Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste. The duration of each walk will be roughly 30–45 minutes.

SOUND WALK TIMES

Push 1 begins at 12 PM at 1708 Gallery (319 West Broad Street)

Push 2 begins at 4 PM at the ICA (601 West Broad Street)

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Toussaint-Baptiste’s new multi-site exhibition Set It Off  consists of two variations of a monumental, immersive, sonic sculpture installed at both 1708 and the ICA.

Since the 1980s, music has been used to push the limits of car audio and sound systems. Music genres like Bounce, Miami Bass, synth bass, and trap intensify cars, clubs, and their surrounding areas. Inescapable in many U.S. cities, bass produces deep affinities but also aversions and sensitivities. While some are conditioned to enjoy the impact of excessive bass, others are given no choice but to experience its intensity. Set It Off intends to shake the room, using the car audio system as the most recognizable transmitter of bass.

Using sonic frequencies that register just below human audibility, the installations provide a series of site-specific experiences for sound to be deeply felt. Coursing through Set it Off is a resistance to predetermined representations of Black American experiences, which is most often simplified as either a victim of violence and oppression or worse, as absent, static, and universal from selective omission throughout history. Toussaint-Baptiste invites visitors to deeply engage with the site, considering the implications of sound, visibility, and performance.