Alice Creischer & Andreas Siekmann und Christian von Borries

“AUF EINMAL & GLEICHZEITIG – EINE MACHBARKEITSSTUDIE:
MUSIKALISCHE SZENEN ZUR NEGATION VON ARBEIT“, 2007
video documentation, 60:00 min.

For Documenta 12, artists Alice Creischer and Andreas Siekmann, in collaboration with composer Christian von Borries, staged ‘musical scenes’ about ‘feasibility’ in a shoppingmall in the centre of Kassel. Ten actors/actresses sung and chanted observations about the world of commodities in a globalized economy and the conditions of production under which promises of prosperity are put into practice. The utopian aspect of this performance, which is reminiscent of a Brechtian opera, lies in the fact that the figures in it formulate a rejection in the here and now: the ‘Statistical Happiness’ figure has to vomit; Mr. Lam has to buy up all the Lake Victoria tilapia filets and then pound them to pieces on a balustrade in the mall. The Compère says, “every commodity is an outrageous scandal.” Auf einmal & gleichzeitig, Eine Machbarkeitsstudie. Musikalische Szenen zur Negation von Arbeit [All at once and at the same time, a feasibility study. Musical scenes concerning the negation of labour] was performed four times in July 2007 in City-Point, Königsplatz, Kassel, with the Hessian Provincial Youth Orchestra.