A p h o t i c  A r c h a e o l o g y  I I  I   -   J e r w o o d  S u r v e y  I I I  A w a r d  D i l s t o n  G a l l e r y  L o n d o n  2 0 2 4



                  

Press Release - 

“Alliyah Enyo’s interdisciplinary practice gravitates towards embodied and meditative processes. She harnesses song, somatics and sculpture to create ‘sonorous myth’ installations and performances. Woven soundscapes materialise taking the form of multi-layered tape loops, collaging her voice, foraged field recordings and memories. The work shrouds the audience in a slowed, surreal state, revealing the bedrock of her research, which investigates myths, folkloric tales or science fiction stories concerning queer ecological perspectives and histories.”




A p h o t i c  A r c h a e o l o g y  I I  -   E m b a s s y  G a l l e r y  2 0 2 3





Press Release - 

“Alliyah has created a solo iteration of her science fiction narrative Aphotic Archaeology. Harnessing specific elements that have been translated from it’s original presentation with an arts festival earlier this year. They have developed and evolved elements of the original installation focusing more on experimental vocal performance, storytelling and sculpture installation.”




A p h o t i c  A r c h a e o l o g y  I   -   H i d d e n  D o o r  F e s t i v a l  2 0 2 3





Press Release -

“Our story begins with a strange encounter within a deep ocean archaeology site. Objects become unearthed by strange creatures that have been ‘materialised for a purpose’ made from the residue matter from the initial ‘big bang’  including oceanic materials- seaweed, salt, aluminium from decaying fish scales. As these creatures begin to awaken their senses, they discover themselves and this environment is a temporary vessel placed by an ‘unknown being’. Realising this aphotic and almost inhospitable site is not one of the past but of a possible future– it is humanity underwater. Sculptural objects reveal clues to humanity’s potential demise and that the ‘purpose’ for the creatures is to learn the ‘first songs’ in order to escape this catastrophe, songs which access an ancient way of sharing knowledge and nurturing the earth. Alliyah Enyo, Lead Artist, Sculptor and Performer. Emma Hislop, Sculptor and Installation Artist. naafi, Composer,  Producer and Performer. nussatari, Performer and Choreographer. Kiera Saunders, Costume Designer.”


S e l k i e  R e f l e c t i o n s  -   H i d d e n  D o o r  F e s t i v a l  2 0 2 2





Press Release - 

“Selkie Reflections is an ambitious collaborative performance spearheaded by recent graduate sound artist Alliyah, which will set out to create a mesmeric sound and movement experience for the audience in the Central Chamber. Alliyah’s soundscapes, made from tape loops, samples and live vocal improvisations will combine with live harp and cello, courtesy of Queen of Harps and Henriette Kesten, building a sonic environment drawing inspiration from underwater sounds and the folklore of Selkies and Sirens. Dancers Hannah Draper and Molly Danter will inhabit the central stage, bringing a visceral element to the show as they push their bodies to respond to the soundscapes. The stage itself will be flooded with projected film imagery, created specifically for the project by Cal Mac, which the dancers will navigate as the sound and atmosphere build towards a crescendo. Dive into an immersive sound and light experience, with atmospheric sounds and vocals looping, washing and echoing; waves of electronic sound breaking around the clear acoustic tones of harp and cello as they weave their way through the music. Dancers respond expressively through creative movement and film projections onto the stage turn the platform into a screen under their feet. Location- Old Royal High School, Calton Hill Edinburgh.”


S e l k i e  T a p e  L o o p s  -  E d i n b u r g h  S c u l p t u r e  W o r k s h o p  B e a c o n  S o u n d  T o w e r





Press Release -

“ Siren and Selkie myths and echoic memory are the basis for this audio work which explores themes of time, grief and memory. At its heart is the exploration of the metaphoric parallells between the communication of Humpback Whales and one’s own auditory memories. Humpback Whales use song to converse. Underwater, sound takes longer to travel but travels over greater distances. For the whales the song and conversationis a non linear experience, a soundscape, where different songs arrive together but each from different points in time. This is much like the pathos experienced  when listening to an audio recording of a person from years ago, as time is stretched and distended by a voice communicating with us from the past.
Alliyah’s interdisciplinary practice gravitates towards embodied and meditative processes. Believing frequencies in sound are healing, she harnesses ritualisation to create ‘sonorous myth’ installations and performances. Her process involves designing, recording, and archiving sound. Using field recordings like archaeological objects, memories are preserved and discovered throughout her soundscapes, echoing and resonating reflecting her interest in ‘echoic memory’. The work exists as a mythologisation of her emotional landscape conflated with ancient Greek mythologies and Scottish folklore. Woven soundscapes are multi-layered as if growing, crafted through her use of analogue hardware. Alliyah is is one of the recipients of ESW’s Youth Bursary Award. The Youth Bursary Programme has been generously supported by Creative Scotland.”