Spears into Hooks
“Behold: this is an exorcism, an
exposition of malevolent forces, a conjuration of ghosts from recent and
current history. ‘Spears into Hooks’ is an electronic opera. No nice melodies
or easy-going grooves to hang on to, no soothing sounds to lull you into an
illusion of serenity, no fun, no escapism. ‘Spears into Hooks’ is a warning
alarm. It is for the strong-minded.”
Her latest project, Spears into
Hooks in the form of an electronic opera, is entirely devoted to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Like more and more middle-eastern intellectuals and artists, Asher believes
that there is no other way than to try to achieve peaceful coexistence between
the two peoples who live in that land. She is also convinced that real mutual
understanding will only have a chance if all the nightmares that haunt the
collective minds of both people are mercilessly exposed, and
bravely dealt with. Welcome to the nightmare of the
20th century. Like some possessed, digital-age shaman, Asher impersonates
ambiguous and conflicting characters. She crawls into the skin of a ‘shahid’
(an Islamic suicide commando: “…another religious boy, again, does another act
of a saint … nobody denies me in the sky”), then sneaks into the body of an
inmate in an Israeli political prison, or into the sick mind of a demented
‘beloved commandant’ of Birkenau concentration camp (“Wunderbar”). One minute
she is a vengeful God, bent on punishing the human race for their cruelty and
stupidity, the next she’s an anonymous refugee trying to save her baby. Asher’s show is
an intense, dark and agonising report from the war zone. It is like watching a
movie shot on the frontlines of a cruel and absurd battlefield. Its intelligent,
multi-layered soundtrack evokes Bosch-like, apocalyptic images that burn into
your retina.
One moment we imagine we are
listening to a Kurt Weill opera, the next we hear brutal electronic rythms…and
then the digital noise is abruptly interrupted with a deafening silence. Asher
juxtaposes angry screams (reminiscent of Diamanda Galas’ exorcising sounds)
with the melancholy tunes of the gypsy Macedonian brass band Kočani Orkestar,
or a Johan Strauss Waltz.
Asher’s unique sound and visual
spectacle hits you in the stomach. No one leaves the hall indifferent, and
that’s what it’s all about. Asher:”This project is a warning alarm. It portrays
the individual as victim of a repetitive, brutal and addictive reality, a
reality that generates chronic diseases that settle in everyone: cowardice and
apathy”.
Vox,
electronics, drumming: Meira Asher; sound, electronics:
Daniel De Jong; lights: Jackie Shemesh; video: Jens Greuner & Meira Asher; stage design:
Andreas Harder; video operater: Thomas Hutzler; a
co-production of the Grand Theatre (Groningen), Sophiensaele (Berlin) &
Meira Asher.
Organised by
Cankarjev dom
The concert
was sponsered by: Adria Airways.
