014 Evie Cahir x Sokeiprim
The latest Space Cast collaboration between visual artist Evie Cahir and DJ and artist Sokeiprim brings to mind a quiet river on a warm summer's day, floating on the surface, the sun reflecting off the water like sparkles in the air. There's a softness to this mixtape that's much like a lullaby, with soft plucks on harp strings, and gentle taps on xylophone keys, and a watery texture beneath it all. It’s no wonder Evie Cahir’s visual response to this mixtape is the softest and most gentle mix of pastel tones that gently move and fade into each other.
The process starts with a mixtape from Sokeiprim
Sokeiprim, aka Joshua Davies, is a dj and visual artist living and practicing on Bunurong Country. His practice is slow and observational, and is inspired by a fascination with nature. Musically, Sokeiprim is drawn to spacious, percussive and jazzy sounds which reflects in his djing and radio selections on his monthly show, Gentle Thoughts on Area3000. Every episode is like a lullaby that pulls together ambient, downtempo, R&B and array of other soft and lovely sounds. Ahead of the release we asked Sokeiprim some questions about how how the mix was put together and what he does to relax, slow down and stay grounded.
Can you tell me a little bit about the process of putting this mix together?
To build a mix for Space Cast, I felt drawn to listening with a spatial focus. These tracks each describe something architectural and internal to my ears - some vast, soft or expanding outwards; some small and delicate, or mystic and overgrown. A lot of the elements in the music spark strong imagery and describe very tangible textures, and the selection of these was my main focus. The narrative of the mix came by chance through trial and error, experimenting with musical elements and spatial feelings that bled across a few of the tracks.
Have you found now that we are well and truly out of lockdown that you don’t listen to or take the time to listen to this kind of music, or is it still really important to connect to this kind of sound?
Music like this is really important to me. A lot of the time, if I’m actively listening to music, I’m listening to soft, earthy music. There’s a lot of depth to explore in the softness. The bones in my ears are so light and delicate, and I find calmness and grounding in treating my ears to gentle music.
What are a few rituals or activities you do that help you feel grounded and get you back to baseline?
Spending time outdoors and seeking nature always brings me back to Baseline. Hearing the sounds of life around me, and the sounds of my own body occupying open space is really grounding. I love to sit, walk and cycle. Whenever I’m feeling unsettled or burnt out, one of these three forms of slowness helps bring me back into my body and in harmony with my surroundings.
What’s one of your favourite mixes that you’ve ever put together?
Succulent Funk invited me to do a mix for their Succulent Mix series, and I had a lot of fun selecting and recording it! It's full of dub and I really leaned into the liminal space of all that echo. This Space Cast mix was a really special exercise too - I felt very vulnerable exploring some of these sounds and the space they formed around me.
What projects do you have coming up? Have you been working on any live sets recently? Or do you have any shows coming up that you’re really excited about?
I’ve got some big travels ahead and have been slowly retreating from a few of my more structured projects. My partner and I have been having fun playing with our shared art making practice Hyphae Cocreates, and beyond that I’m expecting some transformation to the way I create as we set off on the road in a few months.
Can you talk a little bit about your relationship to music and how important that is to you?
My relationship with music is very intimate. I find musical experiences are deeply personal, and I enjoy listening with honest intention and reflection. This doesn't sit right on its own though, and I find as much meaning in sharing musical experiences with people around me as I do with myself. There have been many moments for me where a sung or played note, or lyric, chord or texture has helped me see something completely new in the natural world around me. Music is definitely one of life’s greatest gifts!
Tracklist:
The Sweet Enoughs - Lena’s Son
Barney McAll - Agnes Martin (featuring Ha Na)
Matthewdavid - Liquidity
John Carrol Kirby - Luz Mala
Clever Austin - Mist
Nala Sinephro - Space 7
Badskin - I Brought it Close to Consider the State of it
Blue Divers - Black Backyard
Clever Austin - B7
Amara - Intro
Matthew Hayes - Loop 6
Gallery B - Puzzles
Picture Music - Ivory Coast
Green-House - Sansevieria
Alex Marko - From My Windowsill
Colloboh - Full Embrace
Darcy Khalid - Untitled
Allara - King Plate (featuring Daniel J Marquez)
Meet visual artist Evie Cahir
Evie Cahir is the visual artist behind ‘Sound Bath’, the visual response to Sokeiprim’s mixtape. Evie’s work is tonal, vibrant, expressive and intimate, often using perfectly contrasted tones to create a sense of movement that captures her subjects. Evie’s one of those rare artist that can move seamlessly from figurative works to abstract expressions of colour without throwing off her audience. We asked her a few questions about her practice, how this work came about and how music works as a creative tool for her practice.
Can you tell me a little bit about the process of making this artwork. What kind of themes were you exploring or what else came up during the creation process?
The process for making gradient pieces [which is likely the easiest way to describe this style] is an intuitive one that calls for patience and restraint. I hand-grind the pigment in a mortar and pestle till it is a very fine powder. I then apply thin ‘washes’ or layers of the pigment slowly on paper, in circular motions, being sure not to create too much of a build up of tone or vibrancy. Less is often more in this process.
Gradient work allows for a special kind of paradox to come up, which reminds me of the maxim - ‘In discipline there is freedom’. I think about this a lot when I’m painting or drawing, but especially with gradients because it’s a really messy, very expensive and highly time-consuming process that also offers so much room to experiment, play and invent. It’s a mesmerising process of watching colours come together on paper that have an instant emotional resonance - sometimes I catch myself making a little audible noise [like a happy piglet?!] when colours merge in a way that resounds.
The gradient pieces run in tandem / parallel to my larger and often representational paintings and drawings, so gradient work sits right in the middle of both painting and drawing. The discoveries made when creating gradient work feeds back into my practise. This is because, for me, creating art is a constant call-and-response act - one that revolves around problem-solving how to inhabit a moment fully, interpret it and share it.
Whats your relationship with music and art, do you often use music as a tool when painting? If so what do you like to listen to?
I use music in a strange way, I think. I use it to enter the ‘wormhole’ [a phrase I use to describe that sweet ‘loss of self’ state when you’re deep in the process and forget about the outcome / the earthly plane / the fact that you really need to pee or should take a break because your wrist hurts etc.] I use ambient music, with no spoken word to slip into that initial phase of concentration and persistence. Once I am *in* the wormhole I actually don’t notice music at all - anything could be playing! Then to exit the the wormhole I put on something ‘harder’, chuggier and exhilarating for the clean up phase. Music is an powerful tool when I’m making art - I often just listen to one ambient album on repeat [‘Mother Official’ by Jack Jutson and ‘Water Music’ by William Bassinki are two Classic Hits] and layer it with recordings of bird calls, preferably blackbirds. Something about these two sounds combined is soothing and let’s me get to work in a concentrated and calm way.
What are a few rituals or activities you do that help you feel grounded and get you back to baseline?
Phone off, placed in another room AND under a stack of books. Can’t say why, but the books help. That’s the first and most obvious step for me. Then I line up a rich and varied hydration- station [ginger tea, another smaller coffee, water bottle full, pop a beer in the fridge for the clean- up phase] It’s also in what I wear [hair up, tooth is brushed, get into the grubbiest clothes that I feel comfortable in] If I really need to feel grounded I put the legs up against the wall and stretch out whatever is making me feel flighty beforehand. Getting back to baseline is easy if there’s green around - the community garden close to where I live gets me there instantly. Phoning home and talking to someone [Mum, Dad or any of my five other siblings] is the next step if I’m really in a tricky place with the work.
What’s one of the most exciting projects that you’ve worked on in the last couple of years? Something that’s really got your creative juices flowin..
Working out of an amazing studio in Greece in 2023, was a highlight. I was an artist in residence for a few weeks at Skopelos Foundation for The Arts, and the studio basically sat on the side of the cliff. The drop-off to the Aegean Sea was right there whilst I was trying to paint - I’d often just sit there and look into the distance, trying to find the spot where the ocean begins and sky ends. It was a unique experience! I made a body of work for a solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ballarat once I returned. I worked at the largest scale to date, on a new surface as well, which was such a creative challenge. That was also an important exhibition because I grew up in Ballarat; it was a Home-Coming moment to circle back to the gallery I visited so often when I was younger.
What projects have you got coming up? Any exhibitions or exciting milestones?
I have been selected as an artist in residence in the Billilla Studio Artist program for 2025. This means for a year I will work out of the old horse stables at the Billilla Mansion, which is a historic / heritage listed site in Brighton. During this time I will create a body of work for a solo exhibition in Sydney, for the Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf in May this year. I will also practise expanding my painting and drawing practise to a larger scale again! This artist residency / studio and solo exhibition in Sydney marks a special milestone of creating in a designated studio [instead of the backyard studio] for a gallery that is outside of my usual ‘circuit’ in Melbourne. I also hope to travel to Japan in August and prepare for another artist residency in Greece, 2027.
Can you talk a little bit about your relationship to painting and how important it is to you or what it means to you?
My relationship with painting is a fun and funny one; I think of it as a practised sensitivity to the world that I hope I get to enjoy until I physically can’t - so my relationship to painting is a very important one.
My relationship to painting and drawing is built on unexpected associations and the merging of senses. Which kind of reminds me of synthesesia, in that I enjoy filtering the world through the lens of how I would paint or draw any given moment, often in ways that group together colour, light and scent. That being said, I don’t think I have synesthesia; I simply find the definition of it feels very similar to the unexpected merging of senses that occurs when my eye is ‘in’.
‘Sound Bath’ 2024 by Evie Cahir - Pastel pigment on paper. Available as a limited edition print.
Please join us at High Note to celebrate the launch of this release on Thursday 20th February 6pm onwards.
Featuring music from:
Sokeiprim
Rev Lon
With artwork from artist Evie Cahir, including the new limited edition print release.
RSVP here.
High Note
220 High St, Northcote VIC 3070
Artwork by @soft_edges
You can listen to Sokeiprim’s mixes on Soundcloud, or keep up to date with his creative projects on Instagram.
You can find Evie’s collection of works on her website or follow her on Instagram.
If you would like to support the artists you can purchase a limited edition print of ‘Sound Bath’ by Evie Cahir, hand signed and numbered by the artist, or purchase a digital download of the mixtape by Sokeiprim.