Gala Porras-Kim — "Whistling and Language Transfiguration" 2012
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Edition 72/100. Sleeve insert and vinyl record included.
Gala Porras-Kim’s Whistling and Language Transfiguration examines the relationship between language, sound, and cultural preservation. Created as a vinyl LP, the work translates tonal Zapotec—a language in which meaning is carried partly through intonation—into whistling. Historically, whistling allowed Indigenous Zapotec speakers to disguise communication as music during Spanish colonization.
The record transforms an endangered oral language into both a sound recording and a physical art object. Its cyanotype-printed sleeve makes each copy in the edition visually unique, reflecting Porras-Kim’s broader interest in how knowledge is translated, preserved, and altered as it moves between cultures and systems of documentation.
Signed and dated by the artist.
Dimension: 12" W x 12" H
Condition: Good condition. Slight discoloration and bending at the edges, consistent with age and handling.
Provenance: Acquired from private collection.
