CEILING INFERNO by Panagiotis Mina
The album “Ceiling Inferno.” Produced by Panagiotis Mina of Pyrgatory Studio, and based on the poetry collection “Marvelous Ceiling Inferno” by Christos Kyriakides, the album includes features by Maria Spivak, Veronica Georgiou, Tasos Lamnisos (x.ypno), and Anastasia Dolitsai (Uvglov). For its cover art, it uses documentation of Marina Xenofontos’ painting “Ceiling Inferno.” A film, also made by Xenofontos, doubles as the video-clip for the album’s first track.
Kyriakides’ collection of thirteen off-kilter poems recount his peace-making with death. The points of contact folded together in these poems are auditory, sensual, touch-felt, and intimate. Several of them trail an upbringing and coming of age set in the sidelines of sulen schools and strict parades. Transgressions abound in their verses, but are held tenderly enough to release them from their abjection. Placed on top of the collection, a silver figure of a mask sticks its tongue out: a three-way gesture of contempt, provocation, and conciliation; a calm anticipation of charon’s final obol.
Each of the album’s eight tracks takes its title directly from one of the book’s thirteen poems. Five of the tracks’ vocals reproduce the poem’s verses whole either lyricising them or obscuring them with the use of language games, techniques taken from concrete poetry, and improvisation. For the production, Mina collaborated with Cypriot musicians of differing disciplines, bringing together various styles of beatmaking and composition while also embedding his own influences from drone and noise. The album both calls back to and disperses the original, putting down Mina’s and his collaborators’ interpretations of what they read as latent in the book.
Xenofontos’ painting “Ceiling Inferno” has been hung and photographed. Its documentation is printed as the album’s cover art. Its setting: a castle ablaze, hammer, nails, ladder, and pair of heels without owner, sketch out the tone of the release. The scene can be seen as long forlorn, but also traces a recent evacuation—the intentions of an arsonist. For her film, also titled “Ceiling Inferno”, this scene is restaged and animated; the intensity of the blaze redoubled.
Text by Aris Mochloulis
50 limited edition vinyl lathe cuts
BIOS
Christos Kyriakides is a Cyprus-based visual artist, curator and poet. His work gathers ideas on architecture, youth culture and identity, and queer iconography.
Panagiotis Mina has been an audiovisual artist since 2003. He is also the owner of Pyrgatory Studio, founder of outdoor event series 'Noise of Ozon' and a member of Honest Electronics community.
Marina Xenofontos is a sculptor affected by the politics of individuality and collectivity, and contradictions between personal and political memory.
Debuted on the 9th of December 2021, at Akwa Ibom (https://akwaibomathens.org/) gallery in Exarheia, Athens.
Follow Pyrgatory Studios at:
www.instagram.com/pyrgatory.studios/
Youtube channel:
www.youtube.com/channel/UCWup4MfbJFBx2fuJY5zDwiA
Tracklist
Credits
Music and sound production by Panagiotis Mina
(honestelectronics.bandcamp.com/album/hawaiiprus-he04)
Mastering by Michael Lawrence
Cover by Marina Xenofontos (www.marinaxenofontos.com), Iconography painting for the album Ceiling Inferno, 2020, egg tempera on chalk ground gesso, 63x55x2cm
The album is based on the poetry collection 'Marvelous Ceiling Inferno' published in 2018 by Christos Kyriakides
Graphic design by Dakis Panayiotou
Logo / Custom typeface by Christos Kyriakides
