| 51% wonder chamber 25% robotics 24% talk
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Actors who look like they’ve just stepped out of a cartoon, an orchestra made up of robotic instruments of such technically ingenious design as to be fully-fledged members of the ensemble: an Icelandic women’s choir populates the stage designed by the Belgian theatre-maker and visual artist Kris Verdonck whose work is based on the writings of the Russian author Daniil Charms (Harms) (1905–1942).
A masterly language and machine theatre, menacing and yet trapped in a seemingly childlike fantasy. And perhaps that is why it is so close to Charms who, against the background of Stalinism, was an inimitable expert in combining the description of harsh social and political reality with the lightest, absurd gesture. His protagonists fall out of windows, dissolve into nothing, suddenly get beset by the mob, vanish without a trace or die. But the way they do all of this in his short texts and plays can cause fits of laughter. Personally, Daniil Charms paid dearly for his writings, getting arrested several times under Stalin and finally starving to death in a lunatic asylum.
Kris Verdonck has made reference to works of literature before – for example to Franz Kafka (“K, a society”) or to writings of the theatre-maker Heiner Müller (“M, a reflection”). But “H, an incident” is his first piece of music theatre. What interests him about Charms is the relationship of the individual to the group and to society and how this relationship has changed within conditions of increased social and technological control. He is accompanied by a group of robotics researchers, the Icelandic choreographer Erna Ómarsdóttir, the musician Valdimar Jóhannsson – who together with Ómarsdóttir is also responsible for the dark metal project Lazyblood – and the composer Jónas Sen, who has worked with Björk.
herbst remixed. Video impressions of the project.
Concept and direction Kris Verdonck
Dramaturgy Marianne Van Kerkhoven
Music composition Valdimar Jóhannsson & Jónas Sen
Creation and coaching choir Erna Ómarsdóttir
With Marc Iglesias, Jeroen Van der Ven, Jan Steen, Erna Ómarsdóttir, þyrí Huld Arnadóttir, þorunn Arna Kristjansdóttir, Brynhildur Gudjonsdóttir, Katrín Gunnarsdóttir & Sigríður Soffía Níelsdóttir
Costumes An Breugelmans
Technical coordination and light design Jan Van Gijsel
Sound Valdimar Jóhansson
Assistant director Kristof van Baarle
Music instruments Decap Herentals
Robotics Culture Crew & iMinds/IBCN