Prof. Chris Kondek & Prof. Christiane Kühl
New Opera / New Media - Insights into a Production at the Staatsoper Berlin
Workshop, English/Deutsch, 2 SWS, 2 ECTS
1st session at the UdK, Hardenbergstraße 33, room 102: Saturday, 1.6.2024, 14:30-17:30 h;
6 sessions at the Staatsoper Berlin: Wednesday 5.6., 10-14 h, Wednesday 12.6., 10-14 h, Saturday 15.6., 10-14 h, Friday 21.6., 15:30-19 h, Wednesday 26.6., 10-14 h, Thursday 27.6.2024, 18-22 h

In June of 2024, the Staatsoper in Berlin will present the world premiere of “Melancholy of Resistence”.  Marc-André Dalbavie, a well-known spectral composer, has written the music. The story is based on the novel of the same name by the Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, which tells the story of a small town that descends into chaos after it is visited by a strange circus that sets up a dead whale in the market square. To capture the dark and apocalyptic atmosphere of the original novel, Opera director David Marton has conceived the production as an experimental real-time film. The singers and action will be shot and edited live during the performance and projected in the set. The set itself is a film studio built to resemble a small mid-European town. Video artist and theater maker Chris Kondek, will work with director Marton to realize the video sequences for the production.

In this seminar, students will be invited to attend selected rehearsals and follow the creation process through to the Dress Rehearsal. After each rehearsal Kondek, as well as other members of the design team, will discuss aspects of the production as well as the problems and solutions that arise during a rehearsal process. The main focus of the seminar will be the investigation of strategies for working on new opera works as well as the inclusion of live media in an opera environment.

Requirements for the ungraded Studium Generale credit points / Leistungsanforderungen für den unbenoteten Studium-Generale-Schein: regular attendance of the rehearsals and participation in the group discussions; a final reflection of 2 pages on personal observations about the themes discussed, and the problems and solutions encountered during the rehearsal process.

Christiane Kühl und Chris Kondek entwickeln seit knapp 20 Jahren gemeinsam Theater-Performances und Videoinstallationen, seit 2017 unter dem Namen doublelucky productions. Fokus ihrer Arbeit ist die praktische, ästhetische und inhaltliche Auseinandersetzung mit dem Einfluss digitaler Infrastrukturen auf unsere Lebenswelt. Koproduziert vom HAU Berlin, Münchner Kammerspielen, Residenz Schauspiel Leipzig u.a. gastieren ihre mehrfach ausgezeichneten Arbeiten beim Kunstenfestival Brüssel, Festival Tokyo, Ob/Scene Seoul, Frascati Amsterdam, Brut Wien, NET Festival Moskau, Vaba Lava Tallinn, Teatre Lliure Barcelona, Tmuma Tel Aviv, The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, re:publica, Impulse, Politik im Freien Theater usf. Seit Herbst 2023 teilen sie sich die Gastprofessur für Interdisziplinäre künstlerische Praxis und Theorie an der UdK. Mehr Informationen unter www.doubleluckyproductions.org.

Chris Kondek, born in Boston in 1962, started as a video designer for theater in 1990 working with the New York Theater company The Wooster Group. In 1995 he began a multi-year collaboration with performance artist Laurie Anderson; in the late 90's he made video for productions by Robert Wilson, The Builder's Association and Michael Nyman. After moving to Berlin in 1999 Kondek established himself in the German Theater world, working with directors Stefan Pucher, Falk Richter, Jossi Wieler, Armin Petras among many others, as well as with choreographer Meg Stuart. In 2007 Kondek created video for the first of many opera productions with Sebastian Baumgarten. With director Lydia Styer he worked on Stockhausen's “Donnerstag aus Licht”, which was named production of the year 2016 by Opernwelt magazine. For his video work in theater Kondek received the OPUS/Deutscher Bühne Prize in 2008 and the Faust Theater Prize in 2012.

Christiane Kühl lebt als Theatermacherin, Autorin und Redakteurin in Berlin. Ihr Interesse gilt der Beobachtung, Analyse und Beschreibung gesellschaftlicher Zusammenhänge, in dokumentarischen wie künstlerischen Formaten. Seit dem Wintersemester 2023/24 ist sie Gastprofessorin für Interdisziplinäre künstlerische Praxis und Theorie an der UdK. Nach dem Studium der Neueren Deutschen Literatur, Philosophie und Spanisch arbeitete sie als Kulturredakteurin für taz, Spiegel, radioeins u.a. 2004 gründet sie mit dem Videokünstler Chris Kondek die Performancegruppe doublelucky productions, die sich intensiv mit digitalen Medien und ihren Effekten auseinandersetzt. Daneben Zusammenarbeit mit Interrobang, Ant Hampton, Quarantine (UK). Mehr Informationen unter www.christianekuehl.de.