Sounding/BODY: Grown From the Same Stem, The Cord Still Hums

Interdisciplinary artist Bei Qi performs *Grown From the Same Stem, The Cord Still Hums* at the International Museum of Surgical Science on Friday evening, August 28, from 7:30 to 9:00 PM. The piece centers on a long green fabric tube that slowly fills the gallery, connecting two flower sculptures while the artist's mother's recorded voice — humming a Chinese song, transmitted over a video call from Beijing — grows increasingly distorted by lag and interference. As Qi unravels the tube, the material weight of distance becomes literal: the further she moves from the source, the harder it is to hear, until she finally sings the song back across the full length of the room. Audience members are invited to step into the space, their bodies becoming obstacles the cord must navigate. Tickets are $15 in advance ($10 for students and IMSS members with valid ID), $20 at the door.