“GOm show”: Another journey connecting young people with heritage

This art project opens up a unique space for enjoying music , connecting young people with heritage through emotion, creativity and pride.

“GOm show” - an art show imbued with indigenous culture. Photo: Organizing Committee

“GOm show” - sound from pottery

“GOm show” is a creative musical art project initiated by the Dan Do group, inspired by traditional Vietnamese ceramic culture, where familiar objects such as jars, pots, vases, etc. are crafted into musical instruments, bringing new, original and magical sounds. Just that simple, but surprisingly, the first “GOm show” performances in June and July in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were always packed with audiences.

Unlike any other musical performance, “GOm show” has no narrator. Instead, the sounds of pottery and earth, of the turntable and the echoes from pots, jars, and vases, tell the story in its original nature. According to artist Nguyen Duc Minh, the show is divided into chapters based on the journey of time during the day and the cycle of life: “Morning - Festival - Afternoon - Return”. The audience begins with the sound of a rooster crowing in the heart of the mountain. The sounds continue to lead the way to the scene of lush crops, the echoes of village festivals, love confessions, then a wedding in the ripe rice season and ends in the afternoon...

From “Quay ve”, “Thoi do”, “Xuoi dong” to “Tim Hani”, “Gom”... each work in “GOm show” is a musical slice carrying the spirit and cultural nuances of the M'nong, Tay, Lo Lo, Nung Din, E De, Ha Nhi ethnic communities... That diversity is created thanks to the unique and creative musical instrument system researched by artist Nguyen Quang Su and created with his colleagues. These are jar drums (using earthenware jars and inner tubes to create super low sounds like a giant bass); lang drums (shaped like rice cakes, with warm low sounds like echoes from the ground); earthenware gongs and earthenware bells (creating sounds from baked clay with unique timbre structures, each one is a separate sound entity); rotating pottery (resonating by rotating the mouth of the pottery, creating a soft reverberating effect); zither (gentle sounds resonating from earthenware pots); winnowing machine (made from traditional rice winnowing tool, with small bell attached)...

The performers are young, talented faces, well-trained in traditional musical instruments, passionate and creative. They and the Dan Do group - with key members such as Dinh Anh Tuan, Nguyen Duc Minh, Nguyen Quang Su, worked together to research, create musical instruments and build the program for many months. Together, they created not only a show, but an inspiring artistic journey.

The uniqueness of “GOm show” also lies in the way it is performed, not simply playing music, but the intersection between music, physical performance and visual elements. Like the sằng sinh musical instrument that creates a tinkling sound when the artists juggle, making the stage space as lively as a miniature village festival...

Artist Dinh Anh Tuan said that the name “GOm show” has many meanings, evoking pottery; and also the meaning of gathering sounds, gathering people, gathering emotions to find traditional Vietnamese culture and spread it to the community. As planned, after the premiere, “GOm show” will organize regular performances to serve audiences at home and abroad. The next performances in August have been scheduled...

Aspiration to develop indigenous art

“GOm show” not only marks a new milestone in the artistic journey of the Dan Do group after more than 12 years of establishment. This is a special step forward in the flow of contemporary Vietnamese art with creative music based on indigenous cultural materials, with a new system of musical instruments made from ceramics and terracotta, bringing completely new sounds. The project is a continuation and transfer between two generations of artists - the experienced founders and the young generation of potential artists.

Many audiences after experiencing the “GOm show” shared their feelings of silence and being moved by the simple sounds that penetrated deeply into their memories. The sounds of jars, pots, and pots colliding... which were thought to be just everyday household items, have now become a means of inspiration, awakening an entire cultural region. That shows that the need to enjoy high-quality, distinctive art is clearly present in urban life. Audiences, especially young people, are not indifferent to tradition as many people think. They are just waiting for a new, deeper, and more intimate form of approach.

Music, with its popular nature and overcoming language barriers, is the ideal bridge to bring indigenous culture closer to the public, both at home and abroad. Our country has an extremely rich treasure of traditional culture, from folk music to handmade musical instruments, from daily life to traditional festivals. If there are more art projects like "GOm show" that are both indigenous and have the spirit of the times, we will not only build an advanced culture with a strong national identity but also aim to develop the cultural industry. Art products with a distinct identity, if seriously invested in and systematically developed, can completely become tourist attractions, attracting domestic and international audiences.

More importantly, creative art projects based on attractive indigenous cultural materials, meeting the current public demand for art, will create opportunities to connect the younger generation with heritage. When young people see traditional culture as lively and close, they will be willing to accept and preserve it. A harmony from a clay pot, a resounding sound from a rotating pottery, is sometimes the starting point for a young soul to begin to love, understand and be proud of tradition!

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/gom-show-them-mot-hanh-trinh-ket-noi-nguoi-tre-voi-di-san-712145.html