Haley Fohr is a vocalist and composer based in Chicago, Illinois. Her musical endeavours focus around the human condition, and her 10-year career as Circuit Des Yeux has grown into one of America's most successful efforts to connect the personal to the universal. Her acclaimed seventh album -io maps a geography of grief – a place where ‘everything is ending all the time.’ Her track Dogma was one of Pitchfork's Top Songs of 2021.
Ahead of her show at the National Concert Hall on Friday 15th April as part of the Perspectives series, we asked Haley for her choice cultural picks...
FILM
Taste of Cherry by Abbas Kiarostami. This movie moves like a slow dream. The concept is existential - a man drives around looking for someone to help bury his body after he commits suicide. The conversations he has with strangers are nothing but life affirming. It’s a movie that will stay with you for a very long time.
Music
I am in love with the music of Francis Bebey. His album La Condition Masculine is undeniable. It will have you feeling great. Released in 1976, it’s a unique type of afro-beat that utilises many unique and friendly sounds. His music brings sunshine to my life and incorporates important messages from his life in Cameroon.
BOOK
I’ve been burning through a book by Ted Chiang called Exhalation. It is a collection of fictional, technology-based short stories. It’s a fantastic quick read filled with imagination. The stories approach many existential situations without being overtly apocalyptic. It leaves me feeling hopeful and energetic.
GIG
I have yet to see Aoife Nessa Frances perform live. She is an Irish singer songwriter who I met back in 2010 while I was in Dublin. She is such a nice person. I was really astounded to hear her record "Land of No Junction" from a couple years ago. Her voice and delivery are arresting. If you live in Dublin, please keep an eye out for her upcoming album and future shows. She is an artist worth following.
ART
I am extremely moved by minimal abstract painters as of late. Byron Kim is a contemporary artist based in NYC whose work resonates along the lines of Rothko. His pieces are minimal in composition, but the stories they hold are deep understandings of society and an individual’s role in the greater whole. A few pieces he is best known for are Synedoche, a painting comprised of hundreds of varying skin tones assembled next to one another, and Belly Painting which is a depiction of his pregnant wife’s belly utilizing hot wax.
TECH
I use a lockbox for my iPhone. It’s helped my mental health immensely. I put it in this plastic box and it locks for a duration of time up to 20 hours. I felt really embarrassed that I had to buy such a contraption to remain disciplined with my screen time. In hindsight, it is the best thing I have done for my well-being in a long time.
THE NEXT BIG THING...
I think Mother Nature is the next big thing. I already feel human consciousness turning toward the respite of greenery. Go find a tree that you’ve never seen and take the time to really look at it.
Circuit Des Yeux play the National Concert Hall on Friday 15th April as part of the Perspectives series - find out more here.
