Daniel Frota de Abreu’s background is in graphic design, but it is in the intersection of languages and communication systems where his work truly unfolds. It’s a Perpetual Way is a product of this fusion: the artist takes a passage from Caetano Veloso’s song It’s a Long Way and repeats the word “long” incessantly. This simple gesture creates a new sound experience for the listener, who finds themselves immersed in an emission that doesn’t lead to new ideas or notes but rather stretches on as a sort of mantra, repeating the same word without resolution. The utterance of “long,” truncated to “lon,” subtly evokes associations with "lone" and "London," where the song was written.
It’s a Long Way comes from Veloso’s album Transa, recorded in late 1971 during his exile in London, and released in Brazil in 1972. The album, and this particular song, marked a generation with its blend of new compositions and traditional Brazilian melodies. The song Frota de Abreu uses as a source is a tribute to The Beatles’ The Long and Winding Road.
In his work, Frota de Abreu explores frustration and surprise by metonymically extracting a fragment from a classic song, transforming it into the foundation for a new sound experience. The piece also reflects on "the inseparable coincidence of form and meaning." By prolonging the sound over time, Frota de Abreu alludes to the original weight of the word "long," stretching it beyond its initial context.
Julia Rebouças
Curator – Panoramas do Sul, 19º Festival Sesc_Videobrasil
