Omar Gabriel Delnevo & Leila Bencharnia | soundskin

The practice of listening through materials and gesturality is a way of finding sonic junctures across distant spaces. It is an exploration of an instrument's body, how its voice reacts to, through and with us. How to find ways to reverberate through listening? How to interact with all the layers of sound that coexist in our perception? How to untie from an instrument's technique formalities and approach an instrument instinctively? Searching different ways of listening is a practice that can touch many layers of our subjectivities.

Omar Gabriel Delnevo

(1996, Italy) grew up between Brazil, Italy and England. Delnevo trained in classical piano and composition at the G. Verdi Conservatory in Milan. The focus of his research is focused on practices of decolonization of music, approaching sound organically, dismantling technique and repertoire, in favor of new perceptions of sound and musical form, and how these compare with a colonial heritage. He currently lives and works between London and Milan. He has performed in various artistic contexts as a pianist and/or composer, including the 2018 Darmstadt Ferienkurse, the Milano Musica Festival, for SAVVY Contemporary, SPRINT Milano, and Piano City, among others.

Leila Bencharnia

(1993, Italy), born in El Kelaa, is a Milan-based sound artist, acousmatic performer and musician. The daughter of a Moroccan traditional musician, her dialogue with sound began in the Western Desert of Morocco. In 2013 she moved to Milan where she began a musical research through analog material (vinyls, tapes, cassettes) that led her to experiment with forms of sound narration in dialogue with experimental electronic music. Her practice, using sound as a mode of knowledge transmission, seeks to play an active role in decolonizing listening as a way to have visible impact on socio-political issues. She has performed in various artistic institutions (including SAVVY Contemporary Berlin, Archive Milano, and the Between Land and Sea festival in Palermo) and radio (including NTS Radio and Radio Raheem Milano). She was recently selected by the Italian Cultural Institute for a residency as part of the Dakar Biennale OFF 2022.