With the gracious support of Fonds Podiumkunsten, Ensemble Modelo62 and Petra Strahovnik will work together over two years to create a number of works that enhance Petra’s abilities to combine different art forms with music. The entire trajectory revolves around the theme ‘mental health conditions’ (such as ADHD, autism, borderline personality disorder), to which Petra has a deep personal connection. The choice for this theme is double-sided: On one hand it allows Petra to explore the combination of performance art, video, and music in order to vividly bring out what lies inside of the people that have these mental conditions. On the other hand, it allows something that is vital to her: to act as a social activist by raising social awareness about these conditions.
This collaboration is divided into two stages that produces different artistic outcomes. In the first year she will write works that embody different mental disorders. The second year will be focused on producing and presenting a music theater piece, entitled ‘BallerinaBallerina’, based upon a book that shares the title, written by the Slovenian Marco Sosič.
First stage – peeking into the workshop with J. Fritz
The project kicks off with an intensive performance art workshop by Jürgen Fritz, where the 10 members of the ensemble and Petra will look for their performative state, break through their own limits, and engage with the topic of the project. And with this comes the first presentation date for the entire project: September 1st in The Hague at Tarwekamp 3 at 7pm, where the ensemble opens its doors to the workshop room to present a three-hour performance based on the workshop experience. It is not a piece by Petra, but rather a chance to peek into the working mode and the potential of the collaboration between her and the group.
Second stage – durational pieces with daily performances over the span of a week
In Spring 2019 we will present Petra’s first set of new works: Five solo pieces through which we engage with durational art. In each piece, individual musicians deal with different mental conditions: Trumpet – Autism, Guitar – Depression, Clarinets –Bipolar disorder, Cello – Anxiety disorder, Percussion – ADHD. Each piece has a duration of 3 continuous hours, and they are performed simultaneously in five galleries across The Hague, repeating these performances each day over a period of four days. The audience is welcome to enter and exit the installations at any moment of the performance. They can stay in the same place or decide to visit a few galleries on the same evening.
Third stage – soloist + ensemble
The third production will include three works for soloist plus ensemble. In these pieces, the ensemble represents the society while the soloist is the individual affected by a mental condition. Whereas in the previous production, the performer dealt with the inner struggle as a result of dealing with the condition themself, this one focuses on the clash between the individual and society, i.e. how expectations are set without any consideration for an individual’s situation. These works will be presented at Gaudeamus Muziekweek 2019 and in Korzo Theater later in 2019.
Third stage – Music theater piece ‘BallerinaBallerina’
The final 2-year collaboration with Petra Strahovnik will culminate with the production of the music theater piece based on the above-mentioned novel about an autistic girl, Balerina. The story is told from the perspective of the autistic girl Balerina and the timelines are rather confusing because three main threads of thought are interwoven. These threads are: “actual time”, “dreams and daydreams” and “memories and forecasts”. They will be presented simultaneously on three different spots on the stage and on each spot there will be a different group of characters representing each thread. The complex mental condition of the main character will be expressed using three art disciplines: two soprano voices represent her emotions, a dancer reveals her physical sensations, and a projected text on the singers’ bodies displays her inner thoughts. The musicians will not only play their instruments, but will also play the roles of supporting characters.
The opera will be premiered at Cankarjev Dom in Slovenia.