PERFORMANCE

In her performance-installation the Scottish musician and composer Genevieve Murphy translates one of her greatest fears into a multisensory experience of coexistence. Murphy’s extraordinary performances of her own compositions in elaborate stage settings are inextricable combinations of sound and visuals. The departure point is often psychological phenomena such as obsessive-compulsive behaviour. In her latest project Murphy confronted her arachnophobia by spending time with a spider in order to gain empathy for its existence. For the artist, this personal approach can be transferred to society as a whole: How can such a great fear evolve to the point that coexistence is not an option anymore? With tapes from her therapy sessions, Murphy builds a web installation in which musicians react to the recordings and acoustically catch the audience like a spider.

Concept, composition, scenography: Genevieve Murphy

Performer: Genevieve Murphy

Dramaturgy:  Nienke Scholts

Light design: Gijs Oomkes

Musicians: Markus W Schneider (guitar), Susanna Gartmayer (clarinets)

Commission by: Gaudeamus Muziekweek und Charles Davidson

Coproduction: Standplaats Utrecht

Supportet by Nicole Beutler Projects.

Thanks to Abdelhadi Baaddi.

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