songs & dances about the weather

company christoph winkler

songs & dances about the weather   

the foundation of the piece is based on interviews with rainmakers, including the mother of ugandan dancer Michael kaddu, and climate data regarding the shrinking glaciers in the high mountains. the goal is to narrate the often complex data of climate research in a theatrical context, creating experiential connections to people. to achieve this, we attempt to poetically visualize real climate data, using Holovision, an innovative projection method, to generate spatial effects. thus, the piece combines the visual, "cold" world of melting glaciers with a contemporary rain ritual consisting of dance, singing, and holographic projections.

in many regions of Africa, there is a long tradition of rain rituals, but some, like nigerian dancers, lack a word for glaciers or snow in their local languages. Meanwhile, the glaciers on the African continent are expected to be among the first to completely disappear. Although "rainmaking" is still very present in these cultures, it is losing significance. for example, the mother of dancer Michael kaddu was a respected rainmaker for a long time until she entered the church and stopped practicing.

Rain rituals should not be reduced solely to magical folklore. they are based on observations of the environment and nature to understand signs of weather changes. additionally, they represent an attempt to cope with the social challenges of drought and dryness. the stresses brought about by prolonged dry periods for local communities are diverse, encompassing both practical and spiritual aspects. during the heatwave in 2022, Germany experienced firsthand the social challenges posed by extreme weather phases. the numerous "heat action plans" of countries and municipalities can ultimately be seen as "rainmaking" rituals for complex societies.

in the piece, we now connect the vocabulary of such rituals with the poetic representation of climate data on melting glaciers. using the Holovision technique, projections overlay both layers, creating a dance piece with elements of digital theater

 text by company christoph winkler

 

concept

christoph winkler | with oluwafemi israel adebajo, ridwan rasheed, michael kaddu

costume

marie akoury

3d animation 

martin boettger / studio.ts

yaron Maïm, Matthias Härtig

 

audio mixing 

björn stegmann

production manager

laura biagioni

video editing

Gabriella fiore

technical management

fabian eichner

 

a production by the company christoph Winkler in cooperation with ballhaus ost.

supported by funds from the Hauptstadtkulturfonds (capital cultural fund) and the senate department for culture and societal integration.

video rights  by company christoph winkler

CCW_STONEBOY_0002
0004_ICELAND_UPSIDEDWON
0001_ICELAND
0001_FLYINGSTONES
Bildschirmfoto-2023-11-15-um-14.40.22
CCW_STONEBOY_0001
Bildschirmfoto-2023-11-15-um-14.39.10
0004_ICELAND_UPSIDEDWON5
Bildschirmfoto-2023-11-15-um-14.40.02
Bildschirmfoto-2023-11-15-um-14.39.34
Bildschirmfoto-2023-11-15-um-14.41.05
Bildschirmfoto-2023-11-15-um-14.37.32
CCW_STONEBOY_0004
Bildschirmfoto-2023-11-15-um-14.40.46
0004_01_ICELAND_UPSIDEDWON
Bildschirmfoto-2023-11-15-um-14.38.38

photography image rights by dieter hartwig 3d by studio.ts

see the full performance and more projects on company crhistoph winkler 

MORE PROJECTS

RS.TSR

studio.ts | tsaworks.com

martin boettger 

in3dwetrust

 

.