ZANGEZI (2025)
Theatre
Zangezi is a contemporary staging and reinterpretation of Russian Futurist Velimir Khlebnikov's visionary, planetary sound-based dramatic poem from 1922. The production explores central questions of our time: the tension between humans and nature, the power of language, and war and conflict as drivers of historical change. Involving an international team of renowned creators from the fields of music, visual arts, AI, performance, and technology, a spectacular live media performance unfolds. Written after the violent upheavals of World War I, the Russian civil war and the Russian Revolution, Zangezi explores language as sound: songs, noises, onomatopoeic sounds (such as birdsong), poetic monologues and dialogues between Zangezi, human and prophet, and the natural and divine world. In our new performance, we transport Zangezi into the current climatological, political and technological state of the planet: a world in which we strive to make sense of that which makes no sense. In this way, Zangezi powerfully resonates between the Russian Futurist moment 104 years ago and our unstable present and future.
Artistic Director:
Chris Salter
Artistic Collaboration:
Remco Schuurbiers
Lighting: Sebastien Schiesser
Sound: Pascal Lund-Jensen
Video/Laser: Sacha Schwarz
Visual Design: Erik Adigard
Virtual Environment Design, 3D Animation: Timothy Thomasson
Dramaturgy: Ramona Mosse and Judith Rosmair
Live Performers: Audrey Chen and Judith Rosmair
With artistic contributions from
Stefanie Egedy (BR), The Future of Dance Company (NG), Immersive Arts Space / ZHdK (CH), kyoka (JP), Raqs Media Collective (IN), Team Rolfes (USA), Pierre-Luc Senecal / Growlers Choir (QC/CA), Rully Shabara (ID), Stella Speziali (CH), Fernando Velasquez (BR), Timothy Thomasson (GB/CA)
Zangezi is a contemporary staging and reinterpretation of Russian Futurist Velimir Khlebnikov's visionary, planetary sound-based dramatic poem from 1922. The production explores central questions of our time: the tension between humans and nature, the power of language, and war and conflict as drivers of historical change. Involving an international team of renowned creators from the fields of music, visual arts, AI, performance, and technology, a spectacular live media performance unfolds. Written after the violent upheavals of World War I, the Russian civil war and the Russian Revolution, Zangezi explores language as sound: songs, noises, onomatopoeic sounds (such as birdsong), poetic monologues and dialogues between Zangezi, human and prophet, and the natural and divine world. In our new performance, we transport Zangezi into the current climatological, political and technological state of the planet: a world in which we strive to make sense of that which makes no sense. In this way, Zangezi powerfully resonates between the Russian Futurist moment 104 years ago and our unstable present and future.
Artistic Director:
Chris Salter
Artistic Collaboration:
Remco Schuurbiers
Lighting: Sebastien Schiesser
Sound: Pascal Lund-Jensen
Video/Laser: Sacha Schwarz
Visual Design: Erik Adigard
Virtual Environment Design, 3D Animation: Timothy Thomasson
Dramaturgy: Ramona Mosse and Judith Rosmair
Live Performers: Audrey Chen and Judith Rosmair
With artistic contributions from
Stefanie Egedy (BR), The Future of Dance Company (NG), Immersive Arts Space / ZHdK (CH), kyoka (JP), Raqs Media Collective (IN), Team Rolfes (USA), Pierre-Luc Senecal / Growlers Choir (QC/CA), Rully Shabara (ID), Stella Speziali (CH), Fernando Velasquez (BR), Timothy Thomasson (GB/CA)