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Africa by Toto to play on loop in Namibian desert for all eternity

Author
news.com.au,
Publish Date
Thu, 17 Jan 2019, 4:06PM
The artist hopes that solar batteries will guarantee the installation's longevity. (Photo / Instagram)
The artist hopes that solar batteries will guarantee the installation's longevity. (Photo / Instagram)

Africa by Toto to play on loop in Namibian desert for all eternity

Author
news.com.au,
Publish Date
Thu, 17 Jan 2019, 4:06PM

It’s the classic song that just keeps giving, undergoing an unexpected renaissance to become of the most streamed songs of the digital age.

Now, Toto’s Africa is set live on forever thanks to an art installation in the Namib desert.

Namibian-German artist Max Siedentopf is behind the solar panelled installation, which pays homage to the 1982 soft rock classic.

The work consists of six speakers attached to an MP3 player set up in the southern African coastal desert, which stretches some 2000km.

Six speakers surround the device, projecting the music outwards. The exact location of the installation has not been disclosed by the artist.

“The song is put on loop and the installation runs on solar batteries to keep Toto going for all eternity,” Siedentopf said.

View this post on Instagram

#totoforever

A post shared by Max Siedentopf (@maxsiedentopf) on Jan 16, 2019 at 10:11am PST

Siedentopf wanted to pay homage to what he describes as “probably the most popular songs of the last four decades.”

Although he hopes the song will continue to play for all time, he is realistic about the installation’s durability.

He told the BBC: “Most parts of the installation were chosen to be as durable as possible, but I’m sure the harsh environment of the desert will devour the installation eventually”.

 

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