London, 28 Oct 2020

Name of this performance- ‘reality’ is variable and takes its name as a date of the day, when it is actually to be performed. This piece is a musical-theatrical response to the HAPPSOC manifesto, devised in 1965 by Stano Filko, Zita Kostrová and Alex Mlynárčik, Slovak Modernist/Avantgarde/Nouveau Réalisme artists. It is also inspired by features from the documentary movie Happsoc, directed by Kvetoslav Hečko, created for Slovak Television in 1996. Performers and the audience are invited to enjoy and take part in extended, out-of-ordinary reality, yet try to perceive it as an ordinary reality, as if creating another dimension and accustomizing to live in it.

Written originally for the Rude Health festival of new music, organized by the Composition department of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, it also features the thematic concept of the evening, that being ‘Distant Apertures-’ sonic feed from the drum, the aperture in the visual feed, or aperture to the desired ‘other dimension’ of perceiving reality.

Colours and their traits are as follows- red, as natural, spontaneous; orange, symbolising creativity; yellow, as sensible and intellectual; green- bizarre, naive happy socialist (with no political association); blue, representing space, cosmos of the reality; black- egocentric, featuring a third eye and finally, white symbolising an eternal light, a timeless spirit. All these aforementioned features are adhered to when devising the performance, either absolutely or metaphorically.

In line with the television documentary, the number of performers is 7 and they are assigned different colours coming with different traits. Secondly, in line with the manifesto and the seeking of extra-ordinary, the actions, music and features of the performance bring an unusual atmosphere. The graphic language facilitating the whole performance strengthens this from the side of the performers.

The graphic sign language used in this realisation is greatly inspired by the work of Milan Adamčiak, composer, conceptual artist, musicologist and musician, whose career was rooted in the relationship of visual and musical aspects inside the performance.

Premiered on 7th November 2020, part of Rude Health New Music Festival

Scenography | Ján Števuliak
Video | Benjamín Števuliak, Viktor Ptáček, Maxwell Higdon

Thanks to Max for big help with his car

Performers

Yellow | Guitar | Anders Waller
Green | Act | Benjamín Števuliak
Orange | Clarinet | Ján Števuliak
White | Trombone | Maxwell Higdon
Red | Voice | Ona Černiauskaitė
Blue | Facilitator | Rebecca Galian Castello
Black | Percussion | Viktor Ptáček

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