Turning Borders into Music: A Magical Transformation Project

If an artist is a symbol-maker, then Glenn Weyant's musical artistry is pure magic. In a work he calls The Anta Project, he transforms the U.S.-Mexico border wall into a musical instrument using, as he says: "a cello bow and implements of mass percussion." He literally uses that cello bow to make avant garde music from the steel wall, barbed wire fences and assorted barriers that separate the United States from Mexico in the Sonoran Desert.

Weyant took a look at the border wall and then set out in 2006, as he said: "to transform this symbol of fear and loathing into an instrument capable of promoting unity, dialogue and compassion through sound and performance."

Now, three years later, his project potentially has the power to transform the suffering of border crossers into relief and assistance. By collaborating with No More Deaths, an Arizona-based human rights organization, Weyant plans to release The Anta Project and its companion Droneland Security as a limited edition, double-disc set. All profits from the album will directly benefit No More Deaths' life saving mission: to address the suffering and deaths of border crossers and to illuminate and rectify problems in U.S. border policy.

Weyant is seeking financial backers to make this dream come true. And he offers his supporters rewards for their contributions through the website Kickstarter.com. Follow this link to view Weyant's groundbreaking project proposal:

DECONSTRUCTING BORDERS WITH A CELLO BOW AND A SMILE

The Anta Project's name comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "border" or "end of known territory." You can watch Weyant create his avant garde music on this video: The Sound Sculpturist. He is also featured in the YouTube video at the top of this post. Hear more examples of his sound sculptures here: http://www.sonicanta.com/music.html

In this clip from Leslie Wylie's article in Metro Pulse (Jul 12, 2007) we see the ideals that motivate Weyant:

Weyant humbly points out that he's not the first person to have "played a wall"; other politically charged borders, such as the barbed wire surrounding concentration camps, have also yielded music in the past. But he's the only artist thus far who has applied the idea to the wall between Mexico and the United States, challenging the disturbingly popular notion that a fence could stop the flow of undocumented immigrants into our country.

"It's an easy way of galvanizing the tension," he explains. "We don't have solutions, but at least we can have a focal point for our fear: ‘We built a wall, we're safe.' But if the border has become a symbol of national insecurity, why can't we take the symbol and turn it on its head? Let's transform the wall, reconceptualize it as a bridge between two worlds."

For more information about The Anta Project: www.sonicanta.com Weyant's website has gained a cult following receiving 9,000 unique visits each month!

You can also follow Sonic Anta's progress on Twitter: http://twitter.com/sonicanta

To contribute to The Anta Project: Kickstarter.com You can be part of this magic!