ZWISCHEN UNS

The human language is above all affective.
It is ambiguous, hurtful, violent and manipulative. How often have we said something irrational out of the affect that we regretted once we sobered up?

Wouldn't it be better if we withdrew from our voices so that we could no longer speak?

And once we have become mute, we destroy our susceptibility to feeling and our irrationality at the same time - for the sake of humanity!

Hruod Seekind - introduction to Vox Humana

With the interdisciplinary music performance Vox Humana the ensemble zwischen uns (Andrea Edlbauer, Gregor Fussenegger, Daniel Holzleitner, Julia Mikusch & Hruod Seekind) will present a scenic-musical play in 3 acts.

Texts by Hruod Seekind are in dialogue with the musical compositions by Daniel Holzleitner. The acoustic music and the drama are enhanced by computer-aided sounds (soundscaping and sound design). The performance is based on previously worked out texts and compositions influenced by jazz and other contemporary music idioms.

About the play:

A group of rulers has set themselves the goal to destroy our language and our affectivity. To this end, they have created an artificial intelligence that is impervious to the affectivity of human language. It should create what is impossible for its creator - to free people from their emotional suffering and to protect the earth from the irrationality of people.

We can perhaps understand this thought logically and some particularly rationally thinking people may even agree with it. But something doesn't feel right. What does it mean to withdraw from your voice, to get rid of your feelings? The human being is also and above all an emotional being. So what is he without feelings or the ability to express them? In the end, does annihilating feelings of susceptibility and irrationality mean annihilating humanity?

These questions are raised in the story of Emmíš, who once loved inexpressibly and now has to tell her partner that she no longer has any feelings for her.

At the most vulnerable moment, the AI reports and tries to manipulate it by trying to withdraw its own voice. A battle begins between the world of feelings and rationality.

The concept for the performance was awarded the first Joe Zawinul Prize in October 2020 by the MUK (Music and Art Private University of the City of Vienna). The award was given to Daniel Holzleitner.
Vox humana will be presented in 2022.

Line-Up:

Julia Mikusch (acting)

Daniel Holzleitner (trombone, composition)

Andrea Edlbauer (saxophones)

Gregor Fussenegger (violin, viola)

Hruod Seekind/Constantin Hemetsberger (text, soundscaping, sound design, DAW)

You can listen to Daniel and Julia talk about zwischen uns here: