PERFORMANCE PRESENTATION
As a performing artist I use acting, movements and butoh dance elements often in combination with my voice as an instrument. I am interested in the relation of body, voice, sounds and words. Sometimes I do poetry performances and sometimes I do only vocal sound aka sound-poetry performances and sometimes I use grammelot (imitation of languages) and leave the semantic words in secret.
Often, I combine all aspects. I collaborate with various musicians and sound artists but I also do solo performances combined with simple devices to generate loops and soundtracks of my own compositions.
Methodologically, I use both preliminary preparations and improvisations. The latter mostly in collaboration with musicians sound artists.
Photo by Amë B. Kim.
Photo by Linea.
Influential highlights
When I was around 13 years old, I once listened to an American radio broadcast about the beatniks. It had a great impact on me. I wanted to become a beatnik! Being young, I took it all in and instantly changed my clothing style, my haircut - even my way of walking. I walked in the rhythm of bebop jazz. I looked like someone from the 1950s / 60s. I was hip and I was cool! And I began writing and writing endless poems and recited them in my room while I imagined a whole jazz band behind me. Then Patti Smith released her legendary album “Horses”. Wow! I remember putting it on my record player and almost immediately had to take it off again. It was too strong. Too wild. I can still remember every word from that album. Much later I went to School of Stage Arts and was trained physically and vocally much in alignment with the methods of Jerzy Grotowski who saw the entire performer as an emotional, physical, and vocal instrument. My practice is also strongly influenced by the spirits of dada and fluxus. These highlights have formed the basis for my own performances.
To the right: A walk with the
little one… From a neo-dada
performance at ACUD Theater.
Below are some examples of the various performance concepts that I have developed throughout the years.
SOUND POETRY OF ARTWORKS OR GRAPHIC SCORES
Does visual art have sounds? Well, to me it has! I am synesthetic and if I tune in, I can hear the colors, shapes and forms of certain art pieces. I resonate with works of art with my voice. Sometimes some interpreting words sneak in as well. This kind of performance is suitable for vernissage or finissage of exhibitions. Interpretation of graphic scores composed by others is also part of my repertoire.
From a vernissage at Studio Baustelle, Berlin. Photo by Linea.
AVANTGARDE ABSTRACT POETRY AND CUT UP POETRY
Some of my texts and poems are composed using abstract or cut up techniques. Like my performance DAS WORT HAT EINE INNERE FARBE originally composed and first performed during the “Lange Nacht der Museen 2023” at the Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung in Berlin.
DAS WORT HAT EINE INNERE FARBE: Short avantgarde abstract performance
A sound poem with abstract word combinations and performed with different voices and tones related to the primary colours. The title is inspired by DAS WORT IST EIN INNERER KLANG from the sound poem by Vasilij Kandinsky (1912).
My poem is divided into three parts which are related to the primary colours and to my synesthesia ability that makes me see words and letters in colours. First part BLAU is written on a blue circle, second part GELB on a triangle and third part ROT on a square. These were the geometric forms that Kandinsky saw for the primary colours. Kandinsky was a teacher at the Bauhaus school in the earlier years.
DIE MONOTONIE DER WÄSCHEREI
A short solo fluxus performance performed first time for the Manifestival 2022 at ACUD THEATER, Berlin.
You can listen to the soundtrack I composed entirely with my voice below.
SOUND POETRY THEATRE AND FLUXUS PERFORMANCES
Sound poetry theatre is an art form that I have developed partly from my theatre background and training and partly from my specialization in voice performances. I create characters using portrayed figures in visual art and give them voices and gestures. Like for instance giving voice and action to the Capriccios of Goya. This form of performance is usually composed and often related to a specific context.
Occasionally I do more Fluxus inspired performances where my voice is recorded giving me more space to physical actions.
Below are photos from a sound poetry theatre performance using pictures of various art work. Performed at the Garage Neukölln. Photo by
Alan Layton.
SPOKEN WORD AND INTERACTIVE POETRY
Sometimes I do more conventional spoken word performances where the words and the meaning of my texts and poems are in focus. Occasionally I invite the audience to participate with words or sounds.
From a spoken word performance at Kunstraum Reuter in
Berlin. Photo by Lady Gaby.
INTERACTIVE POETRY: WE
Interactive poetry performance. The poem WE has certain keywords where the audience are encouraged to participate with nonsense dada / grammelot words written on yellow pieces of cardboard. Elements of this performance follow the tradition of Commedia dell’arte and Dario Fo and Franca Rame. Performed first time in Berlin as part of the Reuter Happening in Kunstraum Reuter.
Photo stills from video by Ivan Mrsic.
