dis / / connect\\ed
October 13th, 18th – 20th 2024
Connection is hard to find. Differences in language, culture, and background prevent us from finding deeper understanding
of others. In dis//connect\\ed, the challenge of overcoming our modern isolation formed the basis of the performance.
Composer Chloé Bieri created a series of short “services” for imaginary telephonists captured the monotony, the hustle and bustle, and the loneliness of the modern workplace.
The ensemble sought unity in a complex, semi-improvised work by Sérgio Rodrigo that mixed live electronics with instrumental playing.
An immersive light design by Rosa Wernecke accompanied all three new compositions to connect the disparate and unique sound worlds of the composers.
A minimalistic, meditative soundscape by Annie Aries enveloped the audience, with a series of four mobile loudspeakers causing small shifts in the acoustic experience.
trans:formation
April 20th – 22nd 2024
The space around the audience constantly evolved into a visual and sonic soundscape in trans:formation. The line between pieces became blurred with performative “transfomations” crafted by the muscians to mesh one work into the next. The ensemble became a statue and sound installation while the cello transformed into a communal instrument for the ensemble. The line between improvised and written music was broken down, the innerworkings of the accordion transformed into a highlight of hidden mechanical wonder. And a silent film from Len Lye evolved with a new soundtrack to accompany it.
(ver)graben
June 10th – 12nd 2022
(ver)graben turned the Zivilschutzbunker Sonnenberg into a unique installation-performance that traversed the long, tubular bunker entrance, the school, prison, and stairwells all the way down to the lowest corners of the machine room five floors down. The concrete walls, unnatural light, creepy lime green paint, maze-like design, and the constant hum of ventilation systems made for an eerie and inescapable performance that showcased the Swiss bunker’s history and tackled tough thematic topics like police brutality, state surveillance, migration and nuclear annihilation.
