gaëlle choisne: je suis son, je suis esprit

je suis son, je suis esprit is a sculptural and sound installation by Gaëlle Choisne, created from a collection of conch shells drawn from the holdings of the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, the Mucem, and the Musée de la musique.

A shell-instrument, the conch spans continents and cultures, imbued with multiple uses, from signaling to ritual—and carries a powerful symbolic charge. The artist explores the aesthetic, energetic, and political dimensions of a selection of conchs and their mounting, questioning the supposed neutrality of the museum display and revealing its influence over the objects. Long brass roots, a conductive material, intertwine to support the instruments and make their vibration visible. A sound extension complements the installation, amplifying the singular stories of these objects, captured and voiced by the artist.