Гільдеґарда (Hildergard) by Heinali & Andriana-Yaroslava Saienko

A downpour of bombs and bullets quenches a drought-stricken land, the natural, life-sustaining processes fading and faltering as a routine of artificial destruction enters our daily life. Heinali & Andriana-Yaroslava Saienko search for spiritual meaning through the pain on Гільдеґарда (Hildergard), a reworking of medieval chants into a modern context and modern aesthetic to resist the anti-human forces of evil. Buzzing synths forge a sonic foundation from which traditional melodies soar, using the terror of the Ukranian civilian experience as a means to interface with the divine. Flashes of miraculous love fade into distant memory, our only experience with the world beyond entering through the looming threats of drones, missiles, and bullets. Unsure of where to turn for help, we shout in desperation for something, anything which could resist the violent abomination of post-human capital, our cries met with nothing but the further shrieks of munitions. Still, we sing, undeterred by the persistence of evil as we stake out our shrinking territory of hope, love, and persistence.