Marlo Eggplant – Callosity

Callosity was edited and recorded over the months of October and November 2016 in Leeds, UK. The word callosity means “a piece of skin that has become thickened as a result of repeated contact and friction”. Due to the global events of 2016, Marlo felt as though the idea of a callus was symbolic of what many of us sensed happening in the world. 2016 has beaten us up with its constant governmental and natural catastrophes.The result is a social hardening or a shell that covers a very fragile and vulnerable space that hopefully will reveal healed and newly generated skin.

Born in Baltimore, MD, USA, Marlo DeLara is a sound performance artist currently pursuing a PhD in Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds. Under the Marlo Eggplant alias, De Lara produces textural compositions which develop from microscopic tone landscapes into dense and expansive states of noise and drone. Her works aim to blur the definitions of (un)intentional sound and music. The many noises and tones of De Lara’s live performances are sourced from autoharps, contact mics, vocals and loops, amongst other tools. Her pieces have minimalist origin stories that can be breached through a knowing and often slow-burning approach to improvisation. DeLara has been performing internationally for over a decade and as curator of the Ladyz in Noyz international compilation series, an ongoing project from 2008 to the present, she continues to promote emerging female sound artists/experimental musicians.