Message from your neighbor
Message from your Neighbor presents a cubist story where speech and performance are in dialogue with sound.
A multi-layered conversation between a bride, a neighbor community and a phone answering machine. It combines surrealism, humor and drama - all glued by glimpses of a recomposed Somethin' Stupid by Frank Sinatra that appears in the background from time to time.
The work plays with the superficiality and deepness in human relations. What is a real friend? Are your neighbors your friends or are they just pretending?
DM for full SCRIPT, read a portion there -->
type
wedding piece
Premiered in Switzerland in the context of kollekTive_fiktioN and performed in Boswil, Bern and Basel on December 2022
formation
speaking ensemble, text performer, electronics
duration
15min
year
2022
composition, script, music
Gemma Ragués
(*) with melody excerpts inspired by Somethin' Stupid from Frank Sinatra and a modified sentence by Kathy Acker from 'Blood and Guts in High School'
performance
latenz ensemble, gemma ragués
Commissioned by Latenz Ensemble
Dear neighbors and guests of honor,
What do you mean by “we are in the train”?
Dear close dear,
The wedding is today!
Dear,
Close friends,
Where should I bake the Apfelstrudel?
My oven broke down.
Dear,
Honor guests,
I hate you.
I cannot bake the apfelstrudel in the train.
Are you there?
Dear neighbors,
Sometimes I hate you, sometimes I don’t think you exist, sometimes I really do like you, sometimes I depend on you.
Dear neighbors,
You really are my dear close friends and honor guests. No one else will be coming to my wedding.
Close dear friends you are my dear honor guests,
xx
Are you there?
Pictures by Martin Obrist