Arca's Mutant;Destrudo



Arca appeared on stage in a glittering black dress, beginning her set with murmured melodies, in the quavering lilts and airy voice heard in the fifth “Kick” album. At some point in the performance, she changed outfits in front of everyone, shattering the boundary between the perceived innate perfection of pop stars and the arduous process many go through for their on-stage appearances.
She advanced along the catwalk like a true pop diva, and then, within moments, turned right toward the synthesizer setup on the other side of the stage. There, she reminded us of the rapturous noises that quickly set her apart upon her emergence in the scene.
On the other side of the stage, she sat at a piano for some quieter moments; the piano was modified and prepared with magnets to produce electroacoustic, otherworldly sounds. In the final quarter of her performance, she changed into heels that produced different sounds depending on her footsteps.


The soundscape, her playfulness, and transparency — clueing us into her testing new technology as it was the first night — made it feel as if Arca opened a gateway into her realm, a feeling that became more palpable when she jumped off of the stage and had the crowd follow her around the wide-open space.

