The COSMIC ROOM (2021)
Idea and Production Moritz Sauer
Performance Ronald Berger, Mona Luisa-Melinka Hempel, Moritz Sauer
Music Siavash Namehshiri
Austattung Lan Pham
Dramaturgie Theresa Sophie Leopold
The COSMIC ROOM is an attempt at communication by Moritz Sauer and his team: How can experiences of queerness** be conveyed to the dominant society*? In this immersive performance, the performers establish a sensory relationship with the sole spectator. In the darkness, the spectator experiences different states of being that can characterize queer experiences. By sharing the experiences of marginalization and exclusion, the space illuminates as a cosmic realm of queer utopias. Only when we know about each other can we truly care for one another.
COSMIC ROOM is an ongoing process that began at Dampfzentrale Bern and is being continued at Tanzhaus Zürich. In the sharing session, the group aims to explain their working process and engage in discussions about experiences, situations, and perspectives related to being part of or living in a dominant society.
The COSMIC ROOM experience has now transitioned into an interactive format for 14 single engaged audience over 3 days in Tanzhaus Zürich . This audience becomes an integral part of the interactive process, actively influencing the diverse potential outcomes woven into the piece’s fabric – both musically and conceptually. Siavash, much like in various other collaborative ventures, maintained a close working relationship with the fellow artists involved in this project. As a notable instance, Siavash drew inspiration from Pauline Oliveros’ practice of sonic meditation, reinterpreting certain elements within a contextual framework. These reimagined concepts were then recorded and subsequently integrated into the sonic landscape of the performance.