Watch now – year zero by Haroon Mirza
If you missed our recent world premiere of year zero (2020), a new audiovisual artwork by British artist Haroon Mirza, you can watch it in full on Ikon’s YouTube channel until 14 February.
year zero is a new commission by Ikon, with Art Fund support. The work is part of Mirza’s ‘modular opera’ series, composed by him and realised in collaboration with musicians, a singer and designer. Produced during the COVID-19 lockdown, it is inspired by the widely circulated smartphone footage of Italians singing from their balconies and windows at the start of the pandemic, their small but rousing balcony performances capturing a collective sense of optimism and unity.
Part recital, part voice experiment, year zero is performed by vocalist Sarah-Jane Lewis, who wears a costume of gold lamé and electric blue body paint designed by Osman Yousefzada, and accompanied by an electronic score performed by musician Jack Jelfs. Among other elements, the work also features a performance by Alessandro Ravasio, a musician based in Bergamo, the Italian city most severely impacted by the first-wave of the pandemic.