A Lot of Sorrow by Ragnar Kjartansson

When I was in Copenhagen I stumbled upon a video exhibition by artist Ragnar Kjartansson at the Copenhagen Contemporary. Kjartansson recorded the band The National sing their popular song, "Sorrow" for six hours straight. It was an exploration of human resilience. Could the band perform this raw and triggering song for that extended duration of time?

I walked in at an interesting time in the video. The band was almost at the end of the six hours and they looked both physically and emotionally exhausted. I was able to see them perform the song for the last time and rejoice along with their live audience and friends and family. But I decided to stay put in order to watch the video restart. I saw them set up the stage and perform the song for the very first time. Their voices sounded stronger, there was more enthusiasm, but the words they were singing held significantly less weight. The band didn't seem as moved by what they were saying. I think by the end of the six hours they had been consumed by the melancholy lyrics and it completely transformed their performance. They were forced to confront the lyrics head on and the emotion became part of the performance in a way that was kind of unsettling.

I left wondering what would happen if you forced a band that sang uplifting songs to perform for six hours straight? Would it have the same effect? Would they be overwhelmed by happiness?