SAFE
In Todd Haynes’ film Safe (1995), a woman suffers from increasingly intense allergic reactions that ultimately make her life almost unliveable. It is unclear whether she is a victim or an attention-seeking manipulator. As both a concert and a performance, SAFE starts from the film to sketch an image of contemporary hypersensitivity: join an immersive journey that will stimulate all your senses. What starts as a concert gradually evolves into a sophisticated live audio play. The contemporary Western world wants to find explanations for everything. But what can we do about phenomena, fields, and blind spots to which we cannot provided definitive answers?
• Julie Pfleiderer makes performances, sound art, and film at the intersection of documentary and fiction. The Brussels-based contemporary music ensemble Ictus has been a regular guest at Kaaitheater for years. They have several performances scheduled this season: an ambitious concertante version of Einstein on the Beach – in collaboration with Suzanne Vega and Collegium Vocale Ghent – and the new creations by Eleanor Bauer and Noé Soulier.
direction & concept Julie Pfleiderer | composition & concept Oxana Omelchuk | performance & concept Caroline Daish | musicians Tom Pauwels (guitar), Gerrit Nulens (percussion), Hanna Kölbel (cello) | sound design Alex Fostier, with thanks to Quentin Meurisse | script Pieter Delfosse | choreography Christine De Smedt | set, costume & light Jochen Schmitt-Thelen | co-production Ars Musica, Kaaitheater, Ictus, kunstenwerkplaats Pianofabriek, Wien Modern, Brut Wien, BUDA