Listen Closely: You'll Hear Their Feet Beating Out And Beating Out

Sammy Baloji (b. 1978, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo) lives in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Brussels, Belgium.

Listen Closely: You’ll Hear Their Feet Beating Out And Beating Out is an oversized horn that references the musical histories of the American South. In the 1730s, “free mulattos, blacks, and Native Americans” were required to serve in the military, but as drummers and trumpeters, forbidden to bear arms due to fears of uprisings. These instruments came to symbolize community and solidarity, making music, rather than weapons, a tool for resistance. By the early 19th century, New Orleans’ Congo Square had become the locus for these traditions—hundreds of enslaved Africans would gather weekly to relax and play music, which eventually led to the creation of New Orleans jazz and rhythm and blues. The work sits atop a pedestal that resembles a mound of sugar, a nod to the colonization of the Caribbean, and the horn’s surface is embossed with marks that refer to Congolese traditions of body scarification. With this work, Baloji provides a thought-provoking meditation on the interconnection of global, social, and racial histories.

Please note that the maquette is a slightly more reddish copper tone than the proposal. The color reflected in the rendering is more true to the final Plinth proposal.