To hear on Sunday 30 July and 6 August 2017, 2pm - 9pm
Prolongation: Sunday 13 August !!!
I - RITUAL AFTER ANTIGONE
For six voices and electronics. Stereo sound installation. Duration: 04’ 15
II - AFTER ANTIGONE’S DEATH
For concrete and electronics sounds. Stereo sound installation. Duration: 13’00
by Gio Janiashvili (*1989, Tbilisi, Georgia). A resident of the USA (New York City).
Composer and artist.
Loudspeaker installation 'BassBox': Knut Remond
Gio Janiashvili on 'The Antigone Project: After Sophocles':
The sound installation is a pictorial landscape, which takes the listener on a journey into a ritualistic surreal world, where the audience has a space for contemplation upon the tragic theme of Antigone. Antigone is a Greek tragedy, which cannot be interpreted in only one way. The play de-encapsulates in the mind of audience, showing the multidimensionality of human life: love, sin, religious and war customs, power, resistance, violence, murder, etc. As stated by the Georgian philosopher Merab Mamardashvili: “A sacrificial body is already a light.” Antigone is this kind of figure: she defies manmade laws, goes against power and in the name of divine love sacrifices herself.
Antigone and her brothers Eteocles and Polyneices are the children of the incestuous love of King Oedipus and his mother Jocasta. After Kreon expelled Oedipus from Thebes Oedipus’ sons Polyneices the elder and Eteocles the younger had to share the rule of Thebes. But Eteocles forcefully expelled Polyneices in order to become an absolute ruler of Thebes. Polyneices rebelled and assisted by the Argive army attempted to take over the throne of Thebes. His younger brother Eteocles fought to defend his Theban state. In the battle Eteocles’ forces were victorious, but both brothers perished at the hands of each other. Immediately after the death of his nephews Creon (Jocasta’s brother) took over the throne of Thebes. He buried Eteocles honorably according to custom and ordered to penalize Polyneices as a traitor by leaving his body unburied to be eaten by wild birds and animals. Antigone, who was to marry Creon’s son Haemon, defied the king and declared that she would bury the body of her brother Polyneices even if she faced the death as a result. She failed to persuade her sister Ismene to help her. The rebellious Antigone resisted power alone and sacrificed herself in the name of love for her brother. With this act Antigone forwent the possibility of marrying Haemon and chose to die for her beloved brother. This is expressed well in her following statement: “I, who love him, will lie down next to him, who loves me, – my criminal conduct blameless!” Afterwards when Tiresias told Creon how wrong he was for ordering Antigone’s punishment and that the curse laid his crown Creon realized his wrongdoing, but it was too late. Antigone was already dead, and when Haemon saw her dead body he committed suicide. Having heard about her son’s death Creon’s wife Eurydice also killed herself. The king was devastated.
In the end the story brings to light how power itself can destroy a person, who receives it.
Performers in the recording of Ritual After Antigone:
Louise Fuller (Soprano), Tom Drew (Tenor), Guy Elliot (Tenor), James Newby (Baritone), Nicholas Moodie (Baritone), Simon Dryer (Bass).
Recorded at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in 2013.
© ℗ GIORGI JANIASHVILI 2013.
Statement by Knut Remond, artistic director 'ohrenhoch':
"I chose "The Antigone Project: After Sophocles" by Gio Janiashvili for presentation at 'ohrenhoch, the Noise Shop' because ohrenhoch considers it right and important in connection with the ohrenhoch 'SOUNDACTIVISM01.
Antigone, thus women didn't have anything to say in this so-called democratic reign thinking, so that Antigone breaks with two world-views at the same time.
Antigone revolts against the law. In the present situation there are certain decisions and laws we should oppose against like Antigone.
Regarding refugees: We should do everything possible to save and receive the people who are fleeing. The laws passed lately in Germany (Europe) concerning refugees can't be supported from a humanitarian point of view.
We have to stop the anti-democratic legislation which is against free expression and allows total surveillance.We live in an era in which we are squeezed by force in an economical monotheistic structure commanded by reign thinking and reign rulers, which is the contrary to an enlightened so-called democratic society."
Knut Remond, artistic director 'ohrenhoch, der Geräuschladen'
Berlin_July 2017
Gio (Giorgi) Janiashvili (b. 1989, Tbilisi, Georgia) is a composer, whose creative output spans chamber, vocal, orchestral and electronic music; multimedia concert and music-theatre; sound, video, performance and installation art.
He staged concerts, multimedia performances and installations worldwide.
His major work includes: the multimedia concert MUFFLING FOG - after Martin Heidegger (2014 - Tsinandali Award 2015), Rendezvous of Friends - The Friends Become Flowers for string orchestra (2017), Triptych for orchestra (2016), EXIT YOUR FLESH! after William Blake for sound and video art (2015), the multimedia music-theatre LIFE IS REAL ONLY THEN, WHEN I AM (2013), Ek-Stasis for piano (2012), io io for viola, ensemble and electronics (2010), and etc.
Janiashvili is a resident of the United States (New York City). He received a Bachelor's and Master’s Degrees in composition from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (London). His education includes the studies in composition at Tbilisi State Conservatoire. He gave seminars on his work, music, visual art, theatre, and cinema at Berklee College of Music in Boston and at Trinity Laban in London.
Website Gio Janiashvili