Sound of the gods
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Authors
David, Jerry
Issue Date
2026-05-05
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Spirituality , Ritual , Ceremon , Identity
Alternative Title
Abstract
My work investigates the metaphysical relationship between sound, ritual, and the spiritual realm, focusing on the use of Kalangu (a sacred, communicative sound instrument central to ceremonial practices in the Gwoza community of northern Nigeria). In Gwoza cosmology, sound functions as a bridge between the physical and the spiritual worlds. During annual ritual gatherings, the rhythmic language of the Kalangu facilitates transcendence, guiding participants into altered states of consciousness. Within this liminal space, priests act as intermediaries, channeling communication between mortals and the pantheon of deities who govern various dimensions of existence. Each deity embodies distinct forces for war, fertility, healing, prosperity, protection, and nature; these six gods are invoked through specific patterns and ceremonial gestures. My work translates these experiences into mixed media paintings and sculptures that merge materiality with spirituality. Through fabric sculpted deities and paintings, I create hybrid forms that echo both presence and absence (physical and spiritual). The use of textiles, beads, cowries, and layered surfaces function as both symbolic language and spiritual technology, bridging the physical and metaphysical realms, for example, textiles in my work can be understood as extensions of the body. Combining both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional forms signifies transition from the physical to the spiritual. It also references ritual adornment and sacred embodiment, while also addressing themes of memory, migration, and diasporic identity.
Description
Travelling to Nigeria for my research highly influenced my entire work. The Gwoza people of northern Nigeria have a strong visual artistic symbols and materials that depict culture, identity and spirituality. My thesis exhibition, Sound of the Gods, is conceived as an immersive environment where visual art, sculpture, and sound converge to evoke the spiritual dimensions of African ritual practices. The exhibition is designed to allow viewers to encounter the interconnected relationship between sound, spirituality, and material culture in many West African traditions. Rather than presenting isolated works, the installation creates a sensory and symbolic space where the audience can imagine the presence of ritual performances, sacred invocation, and ancestral communication. Through painting, sculptural forms, textiles, beads, and recorded ritual sound, the exhibition transforms the gallery into a contemplative environment that reflects the spiritual atmosphere of ceremonial gatherings. Upon entering the exhibition space, viewers encounter a series of symbolic oil paintings on wooden panels that serve as the foundation of the installation. These panels are not simply surfaces for painted imagery; they function as sacred platforms that hold sculptural representations of deities. Painted with oil in layered compositions, the panels depict abstracted ritual symbols, ancestral motifs, and visual references to ceremonial environments. The imagery suggests moments of spiritual invocation, drummers in rhythmic movement, figures in trance-like states, and symbolic patterns that evoke sacred cosmologies. The use of wooden panels carries both aesthetic and symbolic significance. Mounted directly onto these painted panels are sculpted representations of deities, created using layers of African fabric and adorned with beads. These sculptural elements extend outward from the surface of the paintings, transforming the works into hybrid forms that exist between painting and sculpture, this particular approach signifies the relationship between the physical and the spiritual. The fabrics used to construct these deities are carefully arranged and wrapped to create dimensional bodies, suggesting diving presence emerging from the painted space.