PROJECTS | AGENDA

 ‘Anemoia (n.) ‘a pang of nostalgia, for an era you never lived through’

“This is a journey of embodying the intertwined narratives of the East and the West through Keroncong and Western art songs. Keroncong dates back to the 1600s, when the freed slaves of Portuguese culture in the Malay Peninsula were brought by the Dutch to Indonesia. The history of its development has been mostly elusive, but it was spread amongst many people with various cultural backgrounds who resided in the archipelago. Fast forward to circa 1930s onwards -still in the Dutch colonial era- it gained a lot of popularity in Indonesia and The Netherlands. The three Keroncong songs we present in this concert express the themes of nature and labour in the rice field, the longing and romanticization of Solo River which resembles homeland, and reminiscing a loved one.”

“In our performance we tell an adaptation of the story of the “Kauaʻi ʻōʻō” bird. We open with a sequence of sound making, a ritual. In this ritual, we exclusively use the Chladni plate in many different ways to produce sounds, accompanied by dance and echoed voices. When Apollon starts to bow on the side of the chladni, sand patterns are being formed on the top of it. We view these patterns as the life and soul of the birds. The last “Kauaʻi ʻōʻō” in existence comes into the screen and starts performing its mating call on top of the sand patterns, hoping for a reply that doesn’t seem to come. At this time, black bubbles start to form. Within these bubbles we can see the many different colors and shapes this beautiful bird takes on during the mating call (the bubbles are completely made with generative artificial intelligence). When the bird is about to give up, it hears a reply in the distance. Eventually another bird appears, only this bird is different, it is artificial and digital. They start to dance together, performing a duet, twirling, jumping, flying around. But unfortunately, it is already too late, the real “Kauaʻi ʻōʻō” starts to fade and disappears into the chladni patterns as glitter, its soul though lives on. Now the artificial bird is left alone, expanding and becoming more and more digital. The closing act is presented with Wisse dancing, accompanied by the poem of Emily Dickinson “Hope”.

“Strings of Blood and Moon is a performative concert that draws from Lorca’s role as a pianist and collector of folk songs. The project offers a new perspective on his work; it shows his multifaceted œuvre through his own music, poetry, theater and drawings. The piece is conceived as a living dialogue where saxophone, piano, poetry, image and movement converge to explore Lorcan themes, such as death, desire and identity.”