CONTROL + F
July 2025 in West Hollywood with Art in Odd Places
Performers: Caroline Blaike, Sharon Chohi Kim, Elana Mann
"Control + F" is a performance by Sharon Chohi Kim and Elana Mann that fuses sonic sculpture and voice. The work amplifies tensions around freedom of speech, the dissonances of communication, and the attempted silencing of voices. Kim moves and sings in relation to Mann’s Call to Arms sculpture, wearing a flowing robe printed with nonsensical letters that symbolize the fragmentation and distortion of language. The performance unfolds as a trio: Kim vocalizes a list of words banned by the current presidential administration—reportedly identified and punished through the “command F” keyboard shortcut—while Caroline Blaike translates the forbidden words into ASL, and Mann enacts the role of active listener through her sculptural instrument. Together, the three performers expose the fragility of language, the politics of listening, and the embodied struggle for expression.
