Alicja ROGALSKA (PL), ERDŐDI Katalin, ANNUS Réka, the Women’s Choir of Kartal and the Varsányi Szirének choir
As the public media doesn’t cover the realm of the countryside, others must do that. News Medley, drawing inspiration from the rich tradition of folk songs,talks about life in the countryside, as experienced by different generations of women. It recounts changes in political systems and lifestyles, and the hard-working realities of everyday life, commented on with humour and sharp wit by the choir members. A medley of five songs was chosen from the choir’s repertoire and collectively re-written, bringing together personal stories with collective concerns about community life and the future of the village. News Medley combines traditional local melodies with contemporary lyrics: it resists the tendency to regard folk songs as fossilized cultural heritage and instead re-introduces the vernacular practice of revising and re-writing songs to talk about the pressing issues and emotions of the current moment.
Following the presentation of a video work at OFF-Biennale Budapest, we invite our audience to an urban walk and performance which inweaves the songs into the canvas of the city on a site-specific way.
A coproduction of OFF-Biennale Budapest and Art At Work Association (Vienna).
Time:
3rd and 5th September 2021
Meeting point:
1088 Budapest, Pollák Mihály tér
Length: 90 min