Farhad Kalantary
The Song of Warning , video Installation, 2020
“A spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of …”
The Song of Warning is a sculptural audiovisual installation using Morse code. It relays a warning message about the rise of Fascism, the collapse of civil society and the imminent self-destruction of humanity under the rule of extremist business ideology. Darker times are ahead of us all around the world.
The Song of Warning adapts the opening sentence of the Communist Manifesto as the departure point of its composition. Written in 1848 by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels the Communist Manifesto became one of the most influential European literary productions. It shook the world for over a century and its echo reached the remotest towns and villages.
The same year Morse code was made into its current international form, which conveyed messages to the remotest places on the planet. Morse code is still used in desperate times when one has to call for help: SOS (… --- …)
The flickering images of the Song of Warning radiate a coded message. A combination of the code’s variations in rhythm and tone make the sound of the installation into a musical arrangement.
With support from The Association of Norwegian Visual Artists (NBK)
Norsk Billedhoggerforening, Oslo, Norway, Jan 2020
The Song of Warning
©Farhad Kalantary,2022