Embaci (US, 1997)
Residency period: January-March 2026
Embaci, born in Brooklyn with Trinidadian heritage, is a multidisciplinary artist and musician shaping worlds of sound, technology, and storytelling. Her practice weaves celestial, shape-shifting forms through her ethereal contralto voice—shifting between resonance and distortion—as both instrument and portal to new sonic dimensions. Trained in opera and jazz, she blends classical technique with experimental production, dissolving genre boundaries and embracing improvisation. Her work incorporates sonic fragments—voice messages, film excerpts, and environmental recordings—extending the voice into new realms of expression. Through performances that merge tradition with future possibilities, she creates interactive spaces inviting connection, belonging, and discovery.
During her residency at La Becque, Embaci develops Lilt Shimmer, a musical performance and score tracing sound to its origins, mirroring life’s emergence from water. Drawing inspiration from prehistoric fish and the vibrant fish of the Caribbean—such as the flying fish and the cascadura—she explores how aquatic life reflects resilience, adaptation, and transformation across eras. Through the story of a fish navigating currents of change and survival, she investigates the voice as a sculptural medium, integrating hydrophone and contact mic recordings of Lake Geneva with layered vocals. The resulting soundscape intertwines folklore, ecology, and sonic expression, inviting audiences to listen deeply to sound as a force shaped by natural elements. In this work, water becomes both memory and movement, echoing the rhythms of the world and connecting listeners to its continuous flow.
Embaci, La Becque, 2026, photo Aurélien Haslebacher