This work is an online iteration of the three channel sound installation frogs.picus.VANNA, commissioned by Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea in 2021.

“The three-channel installation invites us to indulge in an exercise that echoes the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku. The hoarse and intermittent call of the frog in frogs, 19’30’’, is overwritten by the subdued chirping of birds and the screeching of insects that the artist challenges us to identify in picus, 18’58’’. This walkthrough with the eyes closed is accompanied by the electronic and liquid modulations of VANNA, 19’16’’. In its palimpsestic ecology, the work feeds into sonic movements conceived as a whole challenging the frontality of a live DJ set in favor of an immersive circularity where we tune our breath to the forest.” Giulia Colletti

Listen the full sound work here: Digital Cosmos/frogs.picus.VANNA

The piece was created upon Carico Massimo’s invitation to participate to On Air, a collaborative project that functions as an online-offline hub on air, atmosphere, environment, and breath.

The first thought in relating to the concept of breath was to approach it from a visual point of view, as opposed to its totally non-visual nature, in order to render a sound image that was therefore evocative.

At that time, I was working on sampling sounds and music from films and, in a broader sense, from images, by means of field recording. An unorthodox approach that overcomes the smoothness of the source device but also the cleanliness of sophisticated sound recording. Breath, therefore, came to be configured as raw, primordial matter to be sculpted and moulded.

The piece invites us to close our eyes and visualize several iconic breaths from cinema.

Image. Sound. Sounds experienced through images. Field recordings where the “field” corresponds to the visual field. A collage, a mix of music heard through a screen, through precise images —erotic, philosophical, spiritual— sources of two-dimensional dream nourishment. These serve as a starting point to regress back to the physicality and corporeality of sound itself and life, like in a ritual.

The work on “Music Without Images” (2020) and the subsequent “Exhalation” (2021) stems from a reflection on smoothness, as the distinctive feature of contemporary aesthetics. A smoothness that, as the philosopher Byung-Chul Han writes, eliminates the contemplative distance of aesthetic judgment. In a period of intense psychological tension during the first lockdown in March 2020, a time when it seemed impossible for me to listen to music without it being filtered through screens, I internally shifted this reflection from the visual arts to sound. I have always considered sound as clay, as sculptural material to immerse myself in, to give form to.

My approach to sound is raw. The sole consumption of sounds and music from devices considered the epitome of contemporary aesthetics (Mac and iPhone) compelled me to transform them into anomalous instruments of sound creation, reclaiming imperfection as a drive towards depth, abyssal qualities, and melancholy.

Smoothness // Imperfection – Spirituality // Carnality

The images and sounds that nourished me during that period and became part of the composition perfectly embody this dichotomy.

Composed for “Ventiquattr’ore di luce”, Salvo’s first solo show at the Turin-based Norma Mangione Gallery, “Trees are Columns with Clouds on Top” is a direct homage to the light-oriented painting style of the late Italian Master.
Utilizing a combinations of singing and a particular use of field recordings, collected from 2004 to present in Japan and in international museum settings, Ramona Ponzini composes the two sides of the record interpreting in a musical key both the creation phase and the fruition of Salvo’s major painting “L’autogrill” (2014), fully depicted on the cover.

“At the level of composition, the process adopted by Ponzini follows the most purely conceptual character of Salvo’s work. Not only the idea of “editing” that we can find in his early photomontages, or in the lists of some of his paintings, but how much “sampling” there is in his painting, made not only of references to art history, but of practically codified elements (trees, clouds, ruins, minarets, etc.) that continually recur in many of his works.” (extract from Luca Cerizza’s accompanying text)

Transparent Winter follows on from the debut release on the always excellent Time-Lag label and releases on the equally great PSF, Opax and A Silent Place. Painting Petals On Planet Ghost is the trio of Ramona Ponzini with Roberto & Maurizio Opalio (aka My Cat Is An Alien). Here they return for a new full length vinyl release on Blackest Rainbow. PPOPG create some wonderfully fragile and unusual experiments that fall somewhere between folk, psychedelia and drone. Ramona Ponzini sings in Japanese as well as contributing ‘furin, metal and wooden japanese wind chimes’. These are combined with Maurizio Opalio on acoustic guitar, and Roberto Opalio on ‘mini keyboard, bodhran, alientronics, and wordless vocalizations’. The trio’s eclectic setup helps them create some truly luscious and mysterious music that is perfectly fragile, strange, distant and delicate. ‘Mars Appears’ is a hazy dream piece with layered guitars, strange electronics and Ramona’s perfectly delivered Japanese vocals drawing the listener in surrounded by a strange but perfect fitting created by the Opalio brothers musical output. ‘The Mountain’ is equally as otherworldly as the previous sides track, with swirling strings and out of this world electronics created by Roberto and Maurizio. Whilst Ramona’s vocal are almost delivered in a trance like state. A extremely beautiful record with a gorgeous organic feel to it. The record is housed in a sleeve featuring film photographs of flowers. Edition of 250 copies pressed on 140gram virgin vinyl. (Blackest Rainbow)

Ramona Ponzini, young vocalist of Italian PAINTING PETALS ON PLANET GHOST, marvellously gave new life to the precious soul of Japan – the soul that contemporary Japan has lost these days.” PSF Records – Tokyo

 “[..] Truly magical deeply mysterious transporting psychic soundtracks to a series of sonic dreams, expertly crafted to magnify and elevate the listening pleasure of even the most ardent psychedelic listener. A tribute to romantic Japanese poet Yosano Akiko, and essential listening for all of us. Just amazing” – George Parson, editor, DREAM MAGAZINE (USA)

 “[..] I doubt you’ll hear a more beautiful, tranquil and enchanted record this year – really you’ve just cant help but fall in it’s sonic warmth and lushness and drift off” – Roger Batty, MUSIQUE MACHINE (UK)

“[..] As in traditional Japanese music, much is made of the power of the silence, the resonance of decaying tones, and the weight of the suspenseful interval. Listening to Ponzini, in my minds eye I see the heroine of the first chapter of the 1966 Japanese compendium horror film ‘Kwaidan’ – the supernatural “woman with the long black hair” as she extracts her revenge against the archetypal unreliable husband. From the opening [track] to the closing [one], where accordion drones leave inedible tracks in the mind, not a note or instrumental choice seems anything other than deeply considered and transcendentally placed.” – Tony Dale, TERRASCOPE (UK)

Second full-lenght album from Italy’s Painting Petals On Planet Ghost, aka brothers Maurizio & Roberto Opalio (My Cat Is An Alien) and vocalist Ramona Ponzini (also involved in the duo Praxinoscope, as well as a new project with Z’ev). ‘Fallen Camellias’ is a tribute to one of the greatest poetess ever, Japanese Yosano Akiko, whose work in literature in the early 1900’s is considered as manifesto of the Japanese Romanticism. Imagine a Vashti Bunyan or a early Marianne Faithful singing sweet melodies in Japanese language, and you can have an idea of the musical and poetical universe of Painting Petals On Planet Ghost. Here Ramona Ponzini’s singing comes from the use of Akiko’s selected original poems in Japanese along with Ponzini’s own typical soft and enchanting wordless vocals style, a out of time muse-like chant hypnotizing the ears and the minds of the listeners. The songs of ‘Fallen Camellias’ are built on acoustic guitar melodies composed by Maurizio Opalio, and are made of the same pure, melancholic essentiality of the legendary Nick Drake; while, after contributing arrangements of the most ecstatic nature, the other brother Roberto Opalio has played the role of producer of the whole album, searching for not only an aesthetic, but especially an emotional ideal of perfection. In the heart of winter covered by snow, let ‘Fallen Camellias’ be your warm blanket, as well as the promise of a new future spring. Here’s a special Painting Petals On Planet Ghost’s dedication: ‘For those who drink the wine of love springtime is forever’. (A Silent Place)

Ramona’s personal touch is certainly her own particular Japanese chant, together with the use of traditional percussions, bells and cymbals from Japan. Z’EV has been enchanted by all those elements (listening to Praxinoscope), asking to Ramona for this cooperation. This is the result of this “long-distance encounter”. ANKOKU is a Japanese word which means “deep darkness”. For this debut Ramona’s voice and percussions has been registered by My Cat is an Alien in their mysterious studio, placed somewhere in Western Alps, adding some field recordings. Recordings has then been sent to Z’EV who has processed them with some of his typical percussions. Z’EV deconstruct the sweetness of Ramona’s chants, enfolding the pieces with a darker atmosphere. We have an obscure 5 tracks album, structured on charming vocal melodies moving out from a “haunted house”. (A Silent Place)

“Ankoku (“oscurità profonda”) è il risultato dell’incontro tra Ramona Ponzini e Z’ev, nato con l’omonimo album del 2007. Z’ev, al secolo Stefan J. Weisser, è il leggendario artista americano considerato tra i pionieri della scena industrial. Si dedica alla sperimentazione noise sulle percussioni, e collabora con artisti del calibro di Glenn Branca, Keiji Haino e membri del Fluxus. Artista a tutto tondo, si muove dalla performance art all’arte multimediale; il suo lavoro è influenzato dalla Kabbalah e dallo studio delle musiche primitive africane ed indonesiane. Ramona Ponzini, da anni collaboratrice dei My Cat Is An Alien, nel 2004 fonda con loro il progetto Painting Petals On Planet Ghost, in cui il proprio inconfondibile canto e recitato in giapponese unito alla ricerca di testi letterari nipponici da trasporre in musica le ha valso l’approdo alla prestigiosa etichetta giapponese PSF. Negli ultimi anni collabora con artisti quali Michael Morley (Dead C), Jackie-O Motherfucker e Lee Ranaldo dei Sonic Youth, col quale nel 2010 pubblica il disco “All Is Lost In Translation”. Il progetto Ankoku si regge sul dualismo perfettamente risolto tra vocalità ed elettronica. Il suono si lascia così guidare da costruzioni fluide, leggermente polverose, i cui cardini restano a volte invisibili, pur poggiando su solide basi […]” (Connessomagazine)

On June 17, 2008, the exhibition Sonic Youth etc.: Sensational Fix opened at LiFE in Saint-Nazaire, France, with a focus on their multi-disciplinary activities since 1981–collaborations with visual artists, filmmakers, designers, and musicians, as well as other works selected by the band. As part of the exhibition project, My Cat Is An Alien performed on stage with their long-time collaborator Ramona Ponzini (Painting Petals On Planet Ghost, Black Magic Disco, Z’ev) singing Japanese, Michael Morley of New Zealand’s free noise band Dead C, and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth. As a non-programmed live act, My Cat Is An Alien were supplied with two guitars from Sonic Youth’s memorabilia wall of old guitars. No MCIAA show would be complete without sounds and beams generated by space toy guns, which they liberated from a local vintage toys warehouse (including a toy microphone for Roberto’s vocals). Exhibition curator Roland Groenenboom recalls: “Michael Morley joined My Cat Is An Alien and Ramona Ponzini on stage for an improv piece. They were already way into developing [it] when, to their surprise, Lee Ranaldo picked up the guitar that Maurizio had left lying on stage when he moved on to playing percussion, [which only] made the already phenomenal sonic achievement even denser.” Stills from the live footage shot by Groenenboom appear on the color insert. During the performance, Roberto shot photos with a Polaroid camera supplied by LiFE’s director Christophe Wavelet – what Opalio entitles “The Sensational Fix trilogy” – which are front and back cover and labels of this LP. Side B features a collection of solo pieces by each of the five members of this extemporaneous ensemble. The perfect compendium to the unicity of this historical document. (Starlight Furniture Company/Midheaven)

Black Magic Disco is the new all-star band featuring Tom Greenwood, Maurizio & Roberto Opalio, and Ramona Ponzini. The project was borne out of an idea had by Tom Greenwood, leader of the avant-folk-blues ensemble Jackie-O Motherfucker, who invited Maurizio and Roberto Opalio, aka the Italian improv duo My Cat Is An Alien, and their close collaborator Ramona Ponzini (also involved with the two brothers in the projects named Painting Petals On Planet Ghost and Praxinoscope, as well as in the new collaboration with Z’ev) to perform with him for two months of touring throughout all Europe in May/June 2005. As one can imagine, the result was killer. The music which came out of the live performances was totally explosive, combining Ramona’s Japanese vocals & hypnotic chimes with Greenwood’s psych-blues guitar attitude & wild turntablism, over MCIAA’s alien cosmic flux of electric guitars, space toys & percussion, creating a still unheard of mixture of sounds unifying archaic & post-modern, western & eastern, sky & earth.This debut CD represents a unique chance to experience almost 80 minutes of that pure and magical live action, divided in four long tracks taken from the original live recordings. Black Magic Disco’s logo comes from the pencil of Roberto Opalio. The gatefold jacket CD artwork, curated by MCIAA contains some band photos taken during the live performances included in the record. (Important Records)

“Collaboration between Roberto & Maurizio Opalio (My Cat is an Alien), Ramona Ponzini (Painting Petals on Planet Ghost / Praxinoscope) and Tom Greenwood (JoMF) is one of the finest things any of them have been involved in. This is a fantastic piece of cosmic improv with so many elements merging to create something magical: the Opalio’s space-bound electronics, percussion and guitar-manipulation, Ramona’s Japanese vocal whispers and bells and Tom Greenwood switching between psych guitar and slipping world music samples into the murky sound with dramatic effect. Highly recommended.” – BOA MELODY BAR (UK)

Debut recording from Italy’s Opalio brothers (My Cat Is An Alien) and Ramona Ponzini. An esoteric and mesmerizing trip through space, minimalism, and emotion. Each track recorded at a different mystical location in the western alps, and centered around Ramona’s beautiful vocals, all of which are sung in traditional Japanese. Maurizio & Roberto add sparse accompaniment by means of toy piano, alien keyboard tones, antique accordion, percussion, tape effects, and some particularly evocative acoustic guitar. The whole thing comes off alternately as deeply meditative or chillingly haunted, depending on your attention & mood. Silence, space & ritual are hugely important here, with notes & words hovering frozen in time… while the My Cat Is An Alien moniker might leave some folks scratching their heads, here the Painting Petals On Planet Ghost name nails it: fragile, beautiful, cosmically isolationist, and totally spooked…” (Time-Lag)

“Painting Petals On Planet Ghost is a new project featuring space feline brothers, Maurizio & Roberto Opalio, and their longtime partner-in-crime, Ramona Ponzini. Ponzini also appeared on a duo album with Roberto last year, Praxinoscope. With that in mind, don’t expect this to sound like My Cat is an Alien with an extra collaborator. No, Painting Petals on Planet Ghost traverses new ground, staying away from the extended splendid cosmic explorations that MCIAA have become known for. Make no mistake about it, Ponzini is the shining star here. Her tentative, beautiful voice is like a beacon leading the brothers, like moths to a lamp, toward their destiny. Unless you’re fluent in Japanese, you’re not likely to have any idea what Ponzini is singing. As she recites various Japanese poems, the Opalio brothers paint an aural backdrop of loneliness and desolation. These songs are like the last will and testament of someone stranded in the middle of nowhere. This is their message in a bottle. Most haunting is “Haru No Hi Ni.” The Opalio’s solemn acoustic guitar plucks reek of desperation. Hearing it over and over again, I feel like someone is ripping my heart from my chest. Ponzini’s voice floats above the surface, doing its best to stay on top of the wreckage. Each note is like a tiny dagger filled with the worst kind of poison. Simplicity is the best weapon here, and the trio absolutely nails it. This is one of the year’s best songs, hands down. Elsewhere on this record, the backing instrumentation is even more minimal, but still works. The opener, “Sakura No Hana No Oto Ga Kikoeru” features little more than the gentle clanging of chromatic percussion underneath Ponzini’s incantations. And at the beginning of the closing piece, “Sakurabana” the trio returns to this format. As it moves forward, the brothers add melancholy drones with (what I think is) an antique accordian. The dichotomy of this and the percussion at the beginning only adds to the longing in the piece. It settles itself right into your bones. Painting Petals on Planet Ghost shows the Opalio brothers in top form. The addition of Ramona Ponzini adds an entirely new dimension to their sonic attack. The subtleties of this record are what make it so great. Well, that and the fact that Ponzini’s vocals are completely mesmerizing. Add to that the typically beautiful Time-Lag packaging, and you’ve got something essential on your hands. I can only hope that this project will be back with more sometime down the road. Painting Petals on Planet Ghost debut is absolute magic.” – BRAD ROSE, FOXY DIGITALIS