MOTION PHONOTOP – ich sitze nur GRAUSAM da
Based on textual fragments from the l atest prose volume by the great Austrian poet Friederike Mayröcker, Tanz Atelier Wien presented a performative encounter of speech, sound, light and movement, introducing its new sublogo Trans Art Works (TAW) for interdisciplinary showings. Thereby, the space became phonetically converted, musically immersed, kinetically attuned and (e)motionally illuminated. Through the interweaving of voice, music, video art and dance, four artists have brought together different art forms, interacting with each other on the same level and thereby creating a multi-layered total work of art.
Once again, at the age of 88, the great writer of contemporary German literature lets herself get involved in the encounter of dance and music. (…) However, with Cecilia Li on the piano, the dancer Sebastian Prantl, Victoria Coeln at the mixing console, she has three allies who are reacting to her work emphatically. The music sounds like an echo, as if the sound compositions by David Lang, Alexander Scriabin, Philip Glass, John Cage und Claude Debussy absorb Mayröcker’s language. In the dance movements the text resonates, it is possible to decipher some moments previously described by the author. The image of the poet is captured again in the light-video-games, which are transformed into a projection screen and shadow space for the dancer.”
(Edith Wolf Perez, www.tanz.at, March 2012)
A source of inspiration was the charismatic voice and sound language of Friederike Mayröcker, who was reading from her recently published book “ich sitze nur GRAUSAM da” (“I just sit there CRUELLY”). In conjunction with the unique musical atmosphere created by concert pianist Cecilia Li, the book – which unlike its title suggests, is filled with forcefully optimistic day and night dreams – became the acoustic basis for further artistic creation.
With works by Debussy, Cage, Scriabin, David Lang and Philip Glass, the sensitive pianist – who considers the symbiosis of visual, kinetic and acoustic art forms of fundamental importance for her artistic work – not only paid homage to great composers, but also provided creative stimuli for visualist Victoria Coeln.
By condensing and concretizing light and developing light spaces she refers to as “Chromotopes”, Victoria Coeln confronted the literature and music with a strong visual language. In her reactive, in response to the sound created visuals – which incorporate scientific knowledge as well as the power of emotion and personal encounter – she integrated a video montage, showing Mayröcker reading her own lyrics.
In a real time composition – without using pre-fabricated contents – dancer and choreographer Sebastian Prantl drew his inspiration from the media light, music and text and reacted simultaneously to the work processes of the participating artists. As a fluidum the dance composed an interface of the different parts of the performance and established a relationship to the surrounding space.
choreography/dance: Sebastian Prantl
piano solo: Cecilia Li
reading: Friederike Mayröcker
visuals: Victoria Coeln
sound: Michael Renner
coordination/public relations: Susanne Senekowitsch
photos: Lukas Dostal
[Tanz Atelier Wien, March 2012]