Arthur Henry - "Sampling the World: Iceland"
A fascinating project, the Switzerland based Arthur Henry introduces us to his ambitious project “Sampling the World”. Featuring the beautiful scenery and people of Iceland, Arthur Henry collaborates with several strangers each contributing their own skill and talent from voice, traditional instruments and found sounds. Gorgeous videography stiches these performances together featuring Iceland’s astounding natural beauty. According to the press release, “Arthur Henry's ambitious new project "Sampling the World" demonstrates his ability not only to work with people and things, but also to use the sounds of a city, giving a voice to his environment. He straps his apparillos to his back, walks through the streets and cuts everything he comes across, from dustbins to trams, pigeons and, of course, the city-dwellers themselves. It would be no surprise if animals also started singing around him.
The goal? "One song per city. And preferably I'd like to tour at least one city per country - of all 193 countries!" says the Couchsurfing fan, smiling almost sheepishly at this massive global undertaking. He is delighted that personal exchange and encounters - the source of inspiration for his music - are now possible again. In his productions, this inventive mastermind is able to connect together complete strangers, creating euphony out of disharmony, and skilfully filling the spaces in his collected material. One could also say that Arthur Henry's art is to see the light in the cracks , and to let others shine through them. "I like people's voices, even if they can't sing well, and when you can hear the person behind it. But "the living drum set" doesn't need to hide his own skills under a modest bushel: Arthur Henry creates sounds with his lips, tongue, teeth and throat with such virtuosity that one might ask whether a mouth is really meant for speaking or perhaps it was always meant for making music.
