Jlin, who Pitchfork calls “a producer at the vanguard of electronic music who makes tracks that pulse with a quick and steady heartbeat,” and the multidisciplinary artist Florence To were in residence at MASS MoCA in 2023 creating a new collaborative project, Akoma, which was performed as a work-in-progress concert/installation previewed to the world for the first time right here.

ARTISTS’ STATEMENT
Akoma is a symbolic presence of heart and drum, a rebirth that is rarely seamless, embarking on a journey through multiple realms and spaces. We are collaborating on a rhythmic conversation in which sound and light will create a resonance that absorbs and brings energy into the space. This constant motion of expression leaves moments of delicate shifts while exhibiting modes of control and unpredictability. Balance, erraticness, and fluidity require a consistent state of patience while working against the counterbalance of instability. The installation performance is a creation of intentional action and loss of flow, maintaining a balance similar to how human bodies raise questions about which rhythms we want to keep hidden. – Jlin & Florence To