fur for TAK ensemble
Multimedia performance for voice, viola, flute, clarinet, percussion, experimental animation, and light
In the mid-13th century, Qazvini wrote Wonders of Creation, a cosmography that weaves together theology, cosmology, medicine, botany, and the animal world — a fusion of the real and the imaginary, the rational and the mythical.
In our present time, I feel a profound need for the imaginary — for fiction and wonder — as a form of meditation outside the brutal reality of everyday life, where sorrow seeps from every corner. Qazvini’s work offers such an outlet: a passage into a surreal yet grounded space, both ethereal and sublime.
My new piece, inspired by selected writings from Wonders of Creation, imagines a being — a creature with the power to heal. The work unfolds as a drama: a meeting between this being, the performers, and the sounds they create. Through gestures of resistance, merging, questioning, and dissolution, they move toward a fragile and fleeting harmony.
Some lines describing this creature (adapted from Wonders of Creation):
It has the leopard’s skin and the strength of a camel,
the gathering of its fur, the long claws and hands raised in the air,
short legs, a deer’s tail, and a tiger’s skin.
It is said to be born from the navel of the sheep and the wild cow.
Its movements bring a heavenly air to the earth, and it heals.
Its horn is solid, unlike other hollow horns, and when it reaches two years, it sheds them.
It loves to hear melodies — at that time, it pays respect for its own benefit and for the sake of music.
When it roams, life-giving water flows, lung disease disappears, and it renews itself by shedding its skin.
The ensemble becomes a moving body, with the voice at its core — never separate, but continuously guiding and reshaping the collective sound. At the center lies both the creature and the performers themselves. Together, in this semi-theatrical space, they conjure a surreal landscape of cacophony — a playground of struggle between the healing divinity of the creature and our very human, godlike capacity for sound.
images and text inspireing the visuals. scroll down for more ifo about the sculpture
below is a short video of part of the sculpture- please note that this is just a small part of it. the sculpture will grow and embrace the musicians. the musicians will be inside and around it. read more about the sculpture here.
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