Nkisi

Biography
Nkisi (b. 1985), also known as Melika Ngombe Kolongo, is a London-based artist working across sound, performance, and installation. Her practice investigates the cultural, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of sound, with a particular focus on anomalous acoustic phenomena, rhythmic cosmologies, and experimental listening practices. Drawing on her background in visual arts and psychosocial studies, she develops research-based projects combining archival inquiry, sonic experimentation, and performative investigation. Her ongoing project Anomaly Index explores singular historical cases of unexplained sonic events as entry points into alternative sonic epistemologies. Her recent work increasingly focuses on sound installation and para-acoustic research, examining how rhythm and resonance shape perception, collective memory, and social organization.

Residency project
At La Becque, Nkisi will develop Confiscated Drums, a research-driven sound installation investigating why rhythmic instruments have historically been feared, confiscated, or legally restricted. Framed as a para-acoustic investigation, the project examines sonic anomalies and the cultural anxieties surrounding repetitive rhythm. Taking the historical case of the Drummer of Tedworth as a starting point, Nkisi connects colonial forms of sound control, such as the Code Noir, with modern legislation including the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. Through a spatial sound installation, the project explores rhythm as a technology of synchronization, resistance, and collective listening.