In early 2002 the independent artistic expositions (cinematic essay, audio recordings & reflecting compositions, photo series) with all aspects of this meeting have been realized as a multimedia installation including a documentation about the work and the life of SIMON MASHOKO and has been and will be presented in Austria, Europe and other parts of the world. The premiere of "GWENYAMBIRA - A TRIBUTE TO SIMON MASHOKO" was realized at the Gallery Delta in Harare/Zimbabwe from January 11-18, 2002. Beside the presentation in Harare the 3 artists visited SIMON MASHOKO again to renew the first meeting from 1997 and also to update the existing extended material, consisting of photographs, sound and video recordings.

In September 2002 they also released the 2CD/CD-ROM "GWENYAMBIRA - A TRIBUTE TO SIMON MASHOKO" (ATS-Records 0547) which includes originals composed and performed by SIMON MASHOKO (recorded by Klaus Hollinetz at Mashoko's home in Nyika in 2002) on CD1. mp3-soundfile to download: Simon Mashoko CD1/Track2 (cut)

CD2: The sound installation ":::visitors:::" by KLAUS HOLLINETZ is originally a six channel electroacoustic environment realized out of sounds from Hollinetz' recordings and also from material from the soundtrack of the video by Michael Pilz, both recorded at Simon Mashoko's house in Nyika, Zimbabwe, in July 1997 and in January 2002. The idea for the sound installation emerged from listening also to the ambient noise, other random sounds and musical bits as well as the music itself. It forms a musical framework and background, which can be listened to through six small individual loudspeakers as more or less permanently audible sound sources. mp3-soundfile to download: :::visitors::: Remix CD2/Track1 (start)

The 24 minute smg.mpg-file is part of the 203 minute video "Gwenyambira Simon Mashoko" by MICHAEL PILZ, a compilation of different materials from different meetings (2002, 1997, 1996, 1974) with Simon Mashoko. The original film shows not only some of these documents from July 1997 and January 2002, but also a very moving meeting with other Austrian musicians in February 1996 and parts of a beautiful cinematographic portrait from 1974 made by Andrew Tracey. The smg.mpg-file on CD2 shows only scenes from the meeting in January 2002 filmed by Michael Pilz at Simon Mashoko¹s house in Nyika.

The 16 page booklet shows the photo series "inter.view/mashoko" by WERNER PUNTIGAM which he took during the meeting with Simon Mashoko in early 2002. The original size of each photo print is 75x50 cm.

2002: W. Puntigam, S. Mashoko, M. Pilz, K. Hollinetz (photo © Puntigam/Hochleitner)

The project is supported by:

The Austrian Federal Chancellery / Department for the Art, The Embassy of Austria in Zimbabwe, Land Oberösterreich, Stadt Linz, Niederösterreich-Kultur, Wien-Kultur, KommEnt Austria, Galerie Habari / Vienna, HMH-Kunstereignisse / Linz.

Special thanks to:

Keith Goddard, William Rusere, Peter Kuthan, Lore Sander & Werner Pilz, Derek Huggins & Helen Lieros, Gerald Hanisch, Andrew Tracey, Franz Fellner, Gabriele Hochleitner, Martha Muchibwa, Heinrich M. Graml, David Wilson.

Press review:

"Die Doppel-CD 'Gwenyambira' entführt den Hörer direkt ins südliche Afrika, nach Zimbabwe, wo der mittlerweile 90-jährige Simon Mashoko lebt, der in seiner Heimat als Legende der Mbira-Musik (...) gilt: Mashoko setzte sein Instrument, das im traditionellen Ahnenkult der Shona eine wesentliche Rolle spielt und deshalb von den Missionaren lange bekämpft wurde, in der christlichen Liturgie durch. Der Musiker und Fotograf Werner Puntigam, der Komponist Klaus Hollinetz und der Filmer Michael Pilz besuchten den Musiker 1997 und 2002, um schließlich eine in Linz und Wien zu sehende Klang- und Bildinstallation zu entwerfen, die nun auch auf CD vorliegt. Mit rauher Stimme und schon etwas klammen Fingern vernimmt man da Mashoko selbst, ungeschliffene Klänge von großer Anmut, die Hollinetz vor Ort auf Mini-Disc-Recorder (...) aufgenommen hat. CD2 enthält Hollinetz' Remix-Komposition von Mashokos Mbira-Kunst, in die er auch Alltagsklänge aus Zimbabwe einbezog - eine elektronisch galvanisierte Soundscape, wie eine traumhaft und assoziativ am inneren Auge vorüberziehende Erinnerung. Pilz' knapp 24-minütiges Video, das Mashoko bei der Arbeit an den Instrumenten, spielend und im Kreis seiner Familie zeigt, sowie Puntigams Fotoserie erweitern dieses Dokumentationsprojekt um qualitätvolle optische Komponenten."
Andreas Felber, CONCERTO magazine

gallery contacts

GALLERY DELTA (ZW)
thedelta@mweb.co.zw

GALLERY HABARI (A)
info@habari.org
www.habari.org