This project explores the act of re-performing what was once performed by others. It began with a focus on researching archives of work songs but shifted to interpreting rhythm and movement due to the limited availability of archives. By using one’s own body and minimal resources, the project reconstructs these performances. Through a series of experiments, I aimed to archive body movements in different forms of media, allowing the song to be re-performed without the original performer’s presence, and enabling others to take on the rhythm and actions.

This context—the limitations of archive formats, the fragility of digital records, and the challenges of re-performing work songs—became a foundation for this project. It centres on re-performing and archiving a specific work song, A young girl singing while crushing millet in Mali ¹.

Through reinterpretation and abstraction, the project shifts the focus from preserving the past to creating something new. The use of motion detection and abstracted drawings allows for a layered and adaptive archive—one that invites participants to reinterpret and engage with the rhythms in ways that extend beyond the original context.