What opens up, what reveals itself when we pay attention to that endless moaning in ourselves and in the other?
oooooeeeeeehh-hhhhmmm
From what wounds, from what lived experiences does our moaning sound?
From what sensuality does our body scream? aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrggghhhh
What possibilities for the future do we study in the whimpers of ourselves and others?
siiiiiiggghhhhhh
And what stories of the past do we recover by coming together in collective mourning? aauuwww-uuuhhhhh-uhuhuh-uhuh
Gathering in a Polyphonic MOOOOAAAAAAANN Safeguards Solidarity is a poetic contemplation that is the literary equivalent of Raoni’s ceremonial gatherings called “Mourning Sociality”. Throughout the speech Raoni contemplates on the power and significance of the moan as an expression of mourning and how this sound connects with the profound states of loss and suffering. By braiding the moan into the fabric of this speech, Raoni invites the listeners to come together in a polyphonic groan to experience the commonality of grief and loss. This bemoaning contemplation calls for a renewed relationship with the body and embodiment, where grief and loss are not only approached mentally and rationally but also experienced and expressed physically.
Raoni/Muzho Saleh (AFG/NL) is an artist based in Amsterdam. His work is influenced by fugitivity, a revolutionary movement that shapes his artistic vision. By dancing through the gender spectrum, Raoni has developed an unique movement practice that emphasises “becoming other”, an ongoing state of incompleteness. Through the use of materials such as textile, dough, voice and text, Raoni invites a serious kind of play into the performance space where both audience and performers can practise a continuous negotiation of an otherworldly becoming.
In collaboration with Mad House Helsinki.
The lecture is part of the international Radio that Matters project, which focuses on performing arts, radiophony, and acoustic inclusivity. The Creative Europe pilot project is a collaboration between Baltic Circle, Short Theatre Festival (IT), Festival Parallelen (FR), Errand Sound (DE), Radio Papessa (IT), and PAV (IT), and it builds partnerships between local radios, artists, and organizations promoting cultural diversity.