A man stands on a rooftop in Istanbul at dawn, looking our over the city, which famously lies at the intersection of Europe and Asia. He brings two fingers to his mouth and sends a resonant series of whistles into the distance. To whom is he signalling and what message is he sending?
Whistling languages did not develop as part of a ritual practice but as a practical and efficient way for people working the land or tending flocks to communicate. They emerged in places where hills and valleys effectively contained and amplified sound waves, and now survive best in places whose geography similarly prohibits mobile phone reception.
For these communities, whistling languages are in a process of transformation from their traditional use as tools for communication across vast lands into tourist attractions and cultural artefacts and are being taught to local school children.
To conduct research for The Calling, artist Angelica Mesiti travelled to the village of Kuskoy in Northern Turkey, the island of La Gomera in The Canary Islands and the Island of Evia in Greece where whistling languages are all still in use.
During the past ten years Angelica Mesiti has emerged as one of Australia's most significant video artists. Through intimate studies of the ways that minority communities exist with larger environments, Mesiti has proven herself to be an astute observer of human gesture and interaction.
In her video works Mesiti seeks to explore the diverse ways in which people express and communicate—be it through physical movement, dance, song or sign language—to create portraits of individuals and communities at moments of heightened emotion or transformation.
Katrina Sedgwick
Director & CEO, ACMI
The Calling, which Angelica created throughout 2013, was unveiled at Melbourne's ACMI Gallery 2 on 4 February 2014 and was exhibited until July 2014.
The Ian Potter Moving Image Commission (IPMIC) is thrilled to announce that the new work by acclaimed artist Angelica Mesiti The Calling opens today. After fifteen months of work, filming in three countries; this ambitious moving-image artwork will reside at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) until 13 July. Read more
Angelica is the inaugural recipient of the Ian Potter Moving Image Commission. Angelica is a video, performance and installation artist based in Sydney and Paris. Read more
ACMI Curator Amita Kirpalani interviews Angelica Mesiti about The Calling, the first work to be commissioned by the Ian Potter Moving Image Commission. Read more
The Ian Potter Moving Image Commission proudly announces the world premiere exhibition The Calling, by acclaimed Australian artist Angelica Mesiti. Opening on Tuesday 4 February at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) with free admittance, the exhibition will run through until Sunday 13 July, 2014. Read more
The inaugural Ian Potter Moving Image Commission (IPMIC), valued at $100,000, has been awarded to Australian video artist Angelica Mesiti. Read more
The inaugural Ian Potter Moving Image Commission, valued at $100,000, was awarded to Australian video artist Angelica Mesiti in December 2012. Angelica's work 'The Calling' was the first of five $100,000 commissions to be awarded biennially over ten years.
The Calling focuses on whistling languages, ancient forms of non-verbal communication which are still used today to communicate in isolated and difficult landscapes.
IPMIC (2012-14)
The IPMIC Judging Panel comprises experts including curators, visual artists, filmmakers and producers.
