Gilt (a title that plays on the homophonic relationship with the word guilt) draws direct inspiration from artist Hew Locke’s monumental installation for the façade of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (2022-2023). The work featured four giant gilded sculptures resembling opulent trophies that, when viewed from behind, were revealed to be supported by simple poles. Kendall draws on this idea of a “facade on the facade” to explore, through music, notions of appearance and illusion, as well as the convergence of layered and complex histories.

As Kendall explains: “I was drawn to this work because Locke actively explores the undercurrents created by the convergence of many different elements. I was also interested in the symbolism of the four saxophones representing each sculpture; two of the instruments are fragmented by the absence of their mouthpieces, just as two of Locke’s trophies appear as broken ‘half-faces.’ Like me, Locke is British and of Guyanese heritage. Guyana is a country rich in natural resources, particularly gold, yet it remains deeply marked by its histories of slavery, colonialism, and indentureship.”

Commissioned by PRISM Quartet (2024).