Interferences: Live (Performance)
Various artists
Thurs May 29 + Fri May 30 | Goethe-Institut
Radio as an instrument of colonisation. From 1927, the colonial superpowers, including the Dutch, installed radio stations in Southeast Asia to control and dominate the ‘wild’ inhabitants. Shortly afterwards, the local population launched radiophonic counter-projects. Interferences: Live is a radio play, now performed live for the first time, about global understanding and its failure. A work by meLê yamomo, performed live at Goethe-Institut at the VOC room by gamelan master Krishna Sutedja (Gamelan Mudrasvara Ensemble) and composer-musician Thijs van den Geest.
The Philips company broadcasted the first radio programmes in the Dutch East Indies in 1927. Shortly afterwards, the French set up their radio stations in Indochina and the British launched the BBC's Empire Service. It wasn't long before the local population followed suit. Sultan Mangkunegaran VII of Solo in Java financed the Solo Radio Company, which began broadcasting in Javanese in 1933 and transmitted traditional music from Java. Since wireless signals do not stop at any border, the various colonies in Southeast Asia soon heard the popular music and anti-colonial voices of their neighbours.
Researcher and theater-maker/composer meLê yamomo samples recordings of historical radio programmes from Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Asia. In the process, it is possible to hear how global modernity and colonisation repeatedly stumble over the same mistakes. For gamelan master Krishna Sutedja it’s a unique first moment now that the work is played live at the Goethe-Institut.
Take notice: This performance session has a limited capacity and is not included in the Full Festival Pass. We advise you to book in advance to safeguard a spot. There will be no ticket sales at the door.
The presentation of Interferences: Live is made possible with the support of Goethe-Institut, Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA).
About the artist
meLê yamomo (he/him) is a researcher and theatre-maker/composer, who composes with time itself—stretching, layering, and bending it into new sonic landscapes. His work is not simply about sound, but about the ghosts that inhabit it, the histories it carries, and the futures it dares to imagine.
Krishna Sutedja (he/him) is a Balinese musician and composer specializing particularly in Balinese gamelan, and electronic music. A graduate of Codarts University for the Arts in Rotterdam with a Master of Music, he has dedicated his career to bridging Indonesian and European musical traditions.
Composer and musician Thijs van den Geest (they/them) enjoys pushing the boundaries of their musical practice by collaborating with artists from other disciplines and genres. Thijs is also a member of the chromatic gamelan ensemble Multifoon, which explores the boundaries between contemporary Western classical music and Indonesian gamelan playing styles.
These artists are performing at:
Interferences: Live | Goethe-Institut
Thu 29/5 | Times: 18:00 performance (50 min) | Panel Discussion: 17:00
Fri 30/5 | Times: 10:00 (50 min)
This performance is not included in the Full Festival Pass, due to the low capacity. Please buy your separate tickets in time as they might sell out quickly.
The performance will be in English, Filipino, and Dutch. It is based on the Hörstück "Interferenzen," commissioned by Deutschlandfunk Kultur as part of Schwerpunkt: 10 Jahre Radio.
Concept, artistic and musical direction: meLê yamomo
Additional sound design and engineering: Thijs van den Geest
Additional Music Direction and Gamelan Leader: Krishna
Featuring interviews with: Elizabeth “Betsy” Enriquez, Teilhard Paradela, Vincent Kuitenbrouwer, and Harry van Biessum
Dramaturgy: Marcus Gammel und Teilhard Paradela
Production: Deutschlandfunk Kultur / Elektronisches Studio der Akademie der Künste Berlin 2020
Performance: meLê yamomo, Thijs van den Geest, Krishna Sutedja (Gamelan director), and the Gamelan Mudrasvara Ensemble
