Phantom Tongue
The performer navigates a world of phonetic invention, where each utterance becomes an entity of fluid discovery. Through nonsensicality, the audience is invited to a fresh perspective on how we define and engage with languages.
With spoken, whispered, and fragmented sounds, the artist investigates the textures of voice and the noise that creates meaning. Shifting from whispers to growls, this live performance examines the human voice’s power to shape our understanding of time and rituals, blurring the lines between ancient narratives and futuristic visions by merging languages crafted for fantasy and sci-fi mixed in with otherworldly, absurd, unfamiliar tongues.
Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir is an artist, composer, and poet. A graduate of the Iceland University of the Arts, she is the author of five books. Her work has been exhibited and performed at the Reykjavík Art Museum, Kling & Bang, the Living Art Museum, Hafnarborg, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, the Nobel Prize Museum, Kulturhuset in Stockholm, and Kulturhuset in Oslo, and more. She received the poetry prize Ljóðstaf Jóns úr Vör in 2017 and was nominated for the Bernard Heidsieck–Centre Pompidou Literary Prize in 2021.