Performers
- Agnieszka Jakimiak, Kuba Krzewiński direction*
- Łukasz Owczynnikow double bass*
- Adam Stoyanov gran cassa, sign language poetry*
- Głucha Orkiestra Perkusyjna (Deaf Percussion Orchestra)**
- Marta Abramczyk
- Dawid Okroi
- Bożena Reger
- Joanna Rydzewska
- Robert Zgudka
- Hubert Zemler host
- Michał Mendyk, Marta Abramczyk hosts
Programme
Kuba Krzewiński EP for sign language poet with gran cassa and a double bass, act I of play EP (production: TR Warszawa, Automatophone Foundation 2024) [15’]*
Hubert Zemler, Robert Piotrowicz Music fragments for the play Bye, Bye Butterfly for percussion ensemble and electronics (production: Automatophone Foundation 2025) [25’]**
Concert description
“Opera for the Deaf” is an interdisciplinary series implemented since 2017. The project includes performances, music, film and theater workshops, lectures on Deaf culture, online video columns in Polish Sign Language. The project creates a platform for Deaf and hearing people to work together to create a new language of artistic communication.
The concert will be a unique opportunity to experience – to hear, see and feel – two works of the cycle during one evening. The featured performances are the result of collaborations between Deaf artists and contemporary music composers.
***
Kuba Krzewiński – EP for sign language poet with gran cassa and a double bass, act I of play EP (production: TR Warszawa, Automatophone Foundation 2024)
EP na poetę migowego z wielkim bębnem i kontrabasistę, I akt spektaklu EP (produkcja: TR Warszawa, Fundacja Automatophone 2024)
EP – a short musical recording
ep (sign language) – 1. weird, unpleasant; 2. (to feel) uncomfortable. ep is the notation of a sign created by the Deaf community (of Warsaw), which has no equivalent in spoken language.
What is “weird,” who is “weird” and when? How do we determine that which is supposedly “normal” and that which deviates from the supposed “normal”? Is “weird” dangerous, or quite the opposite – is it a refuge for those who can’t express themselves in a different way? Why is “weird” perceived as a threat in society, while “normality” can be risky in theatre and contemporary art?
Hubert Zemler, Robert Piotrowicz – Fragmenty muzyki do spektaklu Bye, Bye Butterfly na zespół perkusyjny i elektronikę (produkcja: Fundacja Automatophone 2025)
We stole the title of the piece from Pauline Oliveros (along with all her thoughts on listening). The original was a feminist electronic fantasy based on the symbolism surrounding perhaps the most famous of Puccini’s heroines, Cio-Cio-San. Our butterfly is not a woman. Instead, it is – according to its biological nature and the semantics of Polish Sign Language – Deaf. Or deaf – because devoid of acoustic vibrations – is his entire world. How to talk about sounds, listening and music in it? We tried to use percussion and low-frequency vibrations for this. Because sometimes you listen smarter from the outside, even if you can’t hear.
– Michał Mendyk