(Un)heard and (Un)seen

Kameron Locke, a classically trained tenor, reflected on the centuries-long presence of African-diasporic musicians, composers, conductors, and musical elements in Western classical music, juxtaposed with the lack of visibility, awareness, and acknowledgment in this traditionally white space. In his 2019 recital series in London, (Un)heard and (Un)seen, he performed art songs by Black composers while his audience wore and alternated between sensory inhibitors—blindfolds and headphones emitting "white" noise—to represent this dynamic. The audience could choose when to remove their inhibitors to hear and see the presence from past to present.