yourfriendkas
Qan / Qanat ¦ 2024
"Qan / Qanat" was made as a reflection of the Qantar tragedy which happened across Kazakhstan in January of 2022, and was released on its one-year anniversary. Through sampling and re-arranging official speeches given by the second non-elected Kazakhstani president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during the clashes, the audio piece forms a "people's version" of events from the fabricated "offical version". To create knowledge and memory outside of / parallel to the singular and linear history presented by the state, the piece documents the violent nature of the crackdowns using the offical voice of the regime. The cover artwork is depicts real quotes from speeches given by the president during the crackdowns, digital composited to replace quotes on buildings Almaty's main square, which for many years have housed inpirational "leadership language" from both Kazakh dictators.