Tanit is an immersive performance piece inspired by a piece of music. We created a visual sound world with a live violinist nested in a giant bubble with more the 300 balloons.
Duration of the show: 5 minutes
Number of performances: up to 10/per day
Audience capacity per performance: 20 pax
Debut live performance: Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, the United Kingdom, in 2013
We met during a London Sinfonietta/Central School of St Martin's commission for the London Sinfonietta one-day festival, New Music Show 2. We were invited to create collaborative works as part of 'Hidden,' a series of intimate solo performances in the secret backstage spaces of Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.
The collaboration started with a conversation with the composer — when she was composing a piece experimenting with mimicking the sound of Armenian duduk with a viola using aluminum foil.
" As a composer I am currently exploring the continuum between composition and improvisation within the premise of Middle Eastern and Western art music in immersive theatre-based contexts. " El-Turk said.
El-Turc is influenced heavily by Middle Eastern culture, and we decided to create something that contrasts the set and her music to surprise her.
Tanit' is named after the chief Phoenician goddess of Carthage, mother goddess and fertility symbol. We focused on our violist as our protagonist, creating a set surrounding her as the central figure. We further explored different perceptions of a truth and how we 'blow' them out of proportion while relating to a deity.
The audience pops their heads through "windows" and hears the violist's strumming as they take their seats. Various immersive performance points include shaking the balloons syncing with the music, and transforming the violin's bow into a balloon popping tool.
I always loved the concept many designers practices - "Design is play." To me, blowing up more than 300 balloons in was one of the breathless fun moments in our making journey.
We tried balloons, tights, tinfoil, CDs, bin bags and many other reflective materials. After a lot of trial and testing, here is me with our first prototype of the head pieces for our protagonist.
