REVIEW BY SARAH STEPHEN
Papers Of a Dead Man
7.30pm, Friday February 24
Performance Space, Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts
420 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
Phone bookings $19/$24, (07) 3872 9000 (noon-4pm, Mon-Fri)
Online bookings $17/$22, visit<http://www.jwcoca.qld.gov.au>
Here is my room.
Oblivion is corroded and silence has grown old.
Enter with candles;
This room is a lair carved from the breast of darkness.
Walk very slowly or you may frighten the dust and the spiders.
Near my broken cup ... a bundle of papers:
Between covers a lifetime is scattered.
Take them, they contain my youth.
Read them, don't deny me immortality.
Publish them, don't let me die!
These words by Syrian poet Umar Abu Rishah inspired Linsey Pollak to compose a musical work based on the poems of refugees, to provide an opportunity for their words to be heard loud and clear within the context of new Australian music.
Papers of a Dead Man features the words themselves through a video design by Chris Peckham who also is present in the performance, mixing a live camera feed.
The words from eight refugee poets (including Mohsen Soltani and Tony Zandavar) are woven into the score and performed through song and spoken word. The score features the sounds of "Lyrebird" (a wind synth) and live looping, Bulgarian influenced singing, saxophones, virtuosic percussion and windharps. These elements provide a context for expressing the words of refugees.
Papers of a Dead Man includes: Linsey Pollak playing wind synth, saxes and clarinis; vocalists Ann Bermingham and Reni Pavlova-Bojilov (from Zhiva Voda); saxophonists Ric Halstead and Brendan Hook; percussionist Tunji Beier.
For refugee advocacy organisations there is a special group bookings price of $15 to enable groups to use this as a fundraiser. This is a one-off performance, and you will need to book soon as it is expected to sell out.
From Green Left Weekly, February 8, 2006.
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