The video performance Alexandr Somov “Gorilla Yell Under the Sakura” explores the nature of a primal sonic impulse as a universal signal — one that instantly seizes attention and leaves no space for neutrality in the viewer. Its central image is a piercing, instinctive howl, reminiscent of a jungle ape’s yell. It spreads like a sonic snowcrash — overwhelming the senses, dissolving distance, and triggering an immediate, visceral response. The work draws special focus to liminal states of consciousness — those fragile moments between sleep and awakening, when perception is especially vulnerable and open. A nighttime river, a strange dialogue, and a yell hovering between the human and the animal turn the viewer into a participant. In this threshold experience, the human and the cry merge: in the moment of sound, the listener ceases to be passive — they become the cry itself. The piece evokes questions of anxiety, empathy, and the body's inseparability from its acoustic environment. It appeals to those layers of perception where thought yields to reflex, and analysis gives way to intuitive reaction. Text: Alexandr Somov
Published on May 4, 2025
YouTube: https://youtu.be/u5Jhpes9Az8