Some book exotic trips to escape the daily grind, packing light but never truly leaving their burdens behind. Others find refuge in the realm of dreams, journeying to discover secret, tangled, yet no less enchanting universes. Light-years away lies the destination of Camilla Sparksss, the stage name and alter ego of Canadian musician and visual artist Barbara Lehnhoff. Her sound blends electro noise-pop, and her latest album, Lullabies, is an eight-track collection that transforms into lullabies – sweet bedtime kisses for adults, fairy tales that rouse us from the daze of contemporary technological enchantment, fascinating yet monotonous. These eight minimalist stories come to life through a fusion of spoken word and mellotron, enveloped in soft grooves that create an ambient-pop atmosphere. Central to the project is an innovative design collaboration with Giulio Parini: an animated mirror embedded in a 33 rpm vinyl record, simulating Joseph Plateau’s phenakistoscope. The ambitious experiment – months of work and twenty prototypes is the brainchild of the artist who co-founded the post-punk duo Peter Kernel with Ticino-based visual artist Aris Bassetti. Its aim is to reawaken the childlike creativity and imagination increasingly trampled in adult life through playful imagery. Cradled from birth by the voices of Bonnie Tyler and the Eurythmics, the Swiss-Canadian artist presents her project on November 29 at the Teatrino di Palazzo Grassi as part of New Echo System, an event promoted by the Pro Helvetia Foundation. A dreamlike experience to be savored with an open heart, like stepping into a fairy tale.
