In the Circle of Song
Artist’s Statement: D J Wilson, LRPS
Blackbyrd – Kalfiefees Festival 2024
Music is often thought of as projection — sound carried outward into the crowd. Yet some of the most compelling moments happen inwardly, in the exchange between artists. In this image from Kalfiefees 2024, the newly re-formed Blackbyrd gather around a seated guest performer, voices and presence converging in a shared musical space.
Tarryn Lamb, the sole original member of the group, stands alongside Tasché Burger and Natasha “Tasha” Zaaiman — new voices woven seamlessly into a familiar sound. The photograph captures that integration: three singers leaning in, engaged not only with the audience but with one another. The seated figure at the centre becomes a quiet focal point, framed by microphones and intent gazes, suggesting collaboration rather than spotlight hierarchy.
The stage smoke softens the edges, creating a halo of atmosphere that blurs background and foreground. It transforms a simple stage arrangement into something almost cinematic — a circle of sound suspended in light. The viewer becomes witness to a private exchange within a public performance: the subtle smile, the concentration, the shared rhythm.
Within Fields & Footlights, this image represents performance as conversation. Not the crescendo that brings the audience to its feet, but the charged stillness of connection — where harmony is built not just in chords, but in trust.
Monochrome works exceptionally well in this image for several reasons:
Smoke becomes sculptural. In colour it might appear atmospheric; in mono it becomes texture and form.
Emotion is prioritised over costume. The eye goes immediately to expression and gesture rather than clothing detail.
Hierarchy is softened. Without colour contrast dictating dominance, the composition reads as relational rather than individual.
Timeless quality. The image could sit comfortably in any era — reinforcing the idea of musical lineage and reinvention.