shush (feat. lucinda chua): A Response to Alienarium 5
In dialogue with Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster’s Alienarium 5, this uncanny guided meditation by Charlie Fox brings us into contact with a mysterious creature.
What forms of recognition and communication can take place between radically different lifeforms? What kind of trust and interspecies connection can we establish? In response to themes of embracing the alien and unknown in Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster’s exhibition Alienarium 5, writer Charlie Fox imagines a close encounter with a large predator. Enter into this darkly dreamlike audio work which walks the line between nightmare and fantasy.
shush (feat. lucinda chua) by Charlie Fox
shush is a shivery ASMR lullaby designed in the dead of summer night for damaged minds.
you find yourself in a lush green field in the dark.
you can find magical things in the dark.
the big bad scary animal is coming towards you.
touch the animal.
stroke the animal’s luxurious fur.
feed the animal a strawberry the size of a diamond.
feel at peace.
here the stars are hung in spiderwebs.
here time takes a lot of sleeping pills.
it was evening all afternoon
it was snowing
and it was going to snow.
shut your eyes and turn to jelly.
About Charlie Fox
Charlie Fox is a writer and artist. His work spans fiction, non-fiction, art, sound, and performance to create strange and disorientating worlds fixated on mythology, pop culture and transformation. His book, This Young Monster, was published by Fitzcarraldo Editions in 2017. He curated the twin shows My Head is a Haunted House at Sadie Coles and Dracula’s Wedding, and co-directed the video for ‘Long Road Home’ by Oneohtrix Point Never with Emily Schubert. He lives and works in London.
About Lucinda Chua
Artist Lucinda Chua has English, Malaysian and ancestral Chinese roots. Using cello, voice and effects pedals, she creates an introspective, sensual space between ambient pop and contemporary classical music. Raised in Milton Keynes and based in South London, the singer-songwriter, producer and composer is known for her collaborations with artists such as FKA Twigs, her time in post-rock duo Felix and for her quietly striking solo music. In 2020, Chua signed with the storied indie label 4AD, releasing her double EP Antidotes the following year.