Festivalis ConTempo: „Asamblėja“: įtraukiantis garso ritualas | Bidibul Productions, Pitchblack Collective

After purchasing a ticket to a concert - performance, you have the opportunity to take part in an immersive sound ritual Virtual Reality experience for just 1 EUR. (tickets here: https://bit.ly/VR_sesijos). The virtual reality experience lasts 15 minutes and is intended for 2 to 5 people at a time. Virtual reality experience since 12 years. You can take advantage of the offer by entering the ticket number in the discount code field.

Beneath language, a vast land of possibilities lingers in our vocal territories, here lives the Memory of Voice. What we say, the words and tones we choose to tell and sing our stories, define our memories. Memory arises from what is spoken, memory is voice. 

The Assembly is an immersive sound ritual at the crossroad between physical and virtual worlds. Here, the human and digital merge to revisit the ancient practice of collective singing. Immersed in a multi-sensorial space of ‘The Assembly’, you encounter The Memory of Voice, a mystic creature living in a world of dreamy beats and bodily sounds. 

The MoV initiates you into different practices of sounding together, inviting you to compose in virtual reality, play in an interactive installation or simply enjoy the sound of endless human expression during a performance-concert.

The project is mobile and currently touring from Luxembourg to France and Lithuania as part of the “European Capital of Culture 2022” program.  www.theassemblyproject.org 

AN IMMERSIVE SOUND RITUAL

As you enter The Assembly, you plunge into the MoV’s universe and become part of a larger collective song composed of vocal expressions.

The Assembly oscillates between an individual and collective experience. In the interactive sound installation, you wander through a maze of veils, sometimes meeting others or guessing their presence through their shadows and the discreet sound of their footsteps.

As you interact with the sound shapes dotting the space, they trigger sounds that feed into the ongoing spatial composition, transforming the human voice into dreamy beats. Immersed in an ever-changing light bath, you witness the dance of the Memory of Voice projected as the veils undulating through space.

In the intimacy of individual cocoons, you enter virtual reality where you encounter the MoV face to face. As you move to trigger sounds around you, you free yourself from isolation and become part of a multi-dimensional instrument to orchestrate a song with four other players in what becomes a collective dance.

As you leave the virtual world to step back into the installation space, you meet the players you first encountered in VR. Here, the performer invests the space to embody the MoV in interventions. The MoV initiates collective moments of singing, interacts with the audience and shares moments of vocal and danced compositions within the multi-layered instrument of The Assembly. You can participate, or just hang out at the edge of the installation, immersed in a 360 degree ambisonic sound system.

Each iteration of this ritualistic experience is unique, bringing together audiences from a variety of backgrounds. On this journey the digital becomes a conductive surface to transform individual voices into one  collective expression.

To experience the different dimensions of the space we recommend to spend at least one hour in “The Assembly”. 

A CONCERT-PERFORMANCE

At night, we invite you to an hour-long concert-performance, The Memory of Voice. They take you on a theatrical journey into the preciousness of our memories and the power our voices hold to write our stories. 

Various music genres (blues, mantra singing, lament,...) are infused by electronics and interjected with theatrical interactions. 

The whole installation space transforms into a concert stage where the performer and an electronic live musician perform alongside audiences free to move around and follow the performer through the space.

From screaming our existence into the world, to imitating others and navigating our way through language, we learn to tune our voices into each other. This piece is a homage to the expressive power of our voices.

Comments:

• Festival Pass is valid for this show;
• No admission after the performance- concert starts;
• If you purchase a ticket with a discount, at the entrance please show the document with your ID for this price category.

SCHEDULE 

Immersive sound ritual - you can come and go as you like

07.08.2022  18.00 - 21.00
08.08.2022  17.00 - 21.00
09.08.2022  17.00 - 21.00
10.08.2022  17.00 - 21.00
11.08.2022   17.00 - 20.00
12.08.2022  17.00 - 20.00
13.08.2022  17.00 - 20.00

Performance

07.08.2022  17.00 - 18.00
11.08.2022   20.00 - 21.00
12.08.2022  20.00 - 21.00

MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM

“The Assembly” was born in Luxembourg through the artistic collaboration of performer Catherine Elsen and VR director Charlotte Bruneau. Digital artist Laura Mannelli joined the project as director of the immersive installation. The team widened to electronic musician Pouya Ehsaei, artist Wesley Allsbrook, the VR studio Gluk Media, in Lithuania, sound engineers from Luxembourg’s Mad Trix, and dramaturge choreographer René Alejandro Huari Mateus.

Presented by: Bidibul Productions, Pitchblack Collective 
Under the artistic direction of: Charlotte Bruneau, Catherine Elsen, Laura Mannelli
Music composition: Pouya Ehsaei with the participation of Catherine Elsen 
Produced by: Lilian Eche, Christel Henon, Charlotte Bruneau, Catherine Elsen 
In co production with: CCRD Opderschmelz
Based on an original idea by: Charlotte Bruneau, Catherine Elsen
VR director: Charlotte Bruneau
XR installation: Laura Mannelli  
Main role, voice and movement: Catherine Elsen
Musician and sound design: Pouya Ehsaei
Visual artist: Wesley Allsbrook
Interactive design: Stefan Palitov
VR studio: Gluk Media
VR studio director: Vaidas Gecevičius (Gluk Media)
Technical supervisor: Rokas Kišonas (Gluk Media)
Lead developer: Egis Bachur (Gluk Media)
Assistant  developer: Dovydas Kaunas (Gluk Media)
Animation: Nikolaj Kalinovskij (Gluk Media)
Chief set designer: Laura Mannelli
Sound programming XR installation: Mad Trix
Technical design XR installation: Cédric Fischer (Mad Trix)
Light programming and design: Eric “Slunnes” Slunecko (Mad Trix)
Sound mix: Cédric Fischer (Mad Trix)
Sound editing: Damiano Picci (Mad Trix)
Sound engineer: Oliver Lang (Mad Trix)
Artistic direction performance: Catherine Elsen
Original idea performance: Catherine Elsen, Charlotte Bruneau
Songwriting performance: Catherine Elsen
Composition performance: Catherine Elsen, Pouya Ehsaei
3d live mixing and sound design: Pouya Ehsaei
Musical consultant: Natacha Crawford
Choreographer and dramaturge: René Huari Alejandro Mateus 
Costume creation: Pierre-Antoine Vettorello
Production manager: Marie-Noëlle Regard
Executive producer: Emilie Roi
First assistant director: Frédérique Colling
Production administration: Valdas Skinderis
Production consultant: Hélène Walland
Production accountant: Linda Kadouche 
Making of director: Paula Onet
Graphic design: Marianne Villière, Franziska Blockhaus
Photography: Patrick Galbats, Charlotte Bruneau
With the support of: Film Fund Luxembourg, European Capital Of Culture Esch2022, CCRD Dudelange Opderschmelz, Oeuvre Nationale De Secours Grand-duchesse Charlotte, Commune De Bettembourg, Commune De Differdange, Aalt Stadthaus Differdange, Ville D'esch-sur-alzette, Fondation Indépendance (Bil), Région Lorraine, Drac Grand Est, Ccphva, “Kaunas 2022”

Presentation of the project in Lithuania is managed by KOSMOS THEATRE