Göksu Kunak: Ajaib Mahluqat (Acayip Mahlukat) | May 11-14 | SOPHIENSÆLE – Sophiensæle | Independent Theater in Berlin
Göksu Kunak:
Ajaib Mahluqat (ACAYİP MAHLUKAT)
Ajaib Mahluqat (ACAYİP MAHLUKAT)
Premiere
PERFORMANCES
MAY 11 | Göksu Kunak with FRZNTE
MAY 12 | Göksu Kunak
MAY 13 | Göksu Kunak with Andrés Sanjuan
MAY 14 | Göksu Kunak with Tischa "THE TIGRESS"
Acâibü’l-mahlûkāt is a Persian cosmology book from the 13th century, later translated into Ottoman and later in Turkish with a foreword of the current President. It includes mythological and made-up characters to explain the world. The book mentions humans, djinnis, creatures in the sky; precious stones, mountains, oceans; plants, and trees. Its images depict elephant-humans with wings, cow-reptiles and many other idiosyncratic beings. Inspired by this world, Göksu Kunak tackles the notions of camouflage and self–censorship in relation to the politics and dictator(s) of an imaginary (!) region.
For this piece, the concept of Taqiyya in Islam is at the center of a deeper understanding of camouflage: a hypercamouflage in the sense of merging with a character; of gender as camouflage; hiding in niches and camouflage as protection. In this text-based performance, the images and movement patterns of the creatures from the book Acayip Mahlukat emerge in a sci-fi imaginary realm and are complemented by motifs from the speculative non-fiction "Cyclonopedia" by Reza Negarestani. From a speculative perspective on the Middle East, Göksu Kunak thereby makes references to Southwest Asian politics, (in)visibility and (un)veiling, pornography, time and decay.
After the performance, the format transforms into an installation and the audience can move freely through the space. In this part of the work explicit/pornographic content is shown in a video and is addressed in a text in the background.
If any questions remain from the following information, please feel free to contact Hannah Aldinger at barrierefreiheit@sophiensaele.com or 030 27 89 00 35. Please note that details may change by the day of the event. Therefore, if you find out after you have purchased your ticket that the performance is no longer accessible to you, you can contact us for a ticket return at ticketing@sophiensaele.com or 030 27 89 00 45 until 5 business days after the event (Monday through Friday between 10am and 6pm).
Duration
- Approx. 90 minutes
- Approx. 60 minutes performance and 30 minutes installation.
- At the end of the performance the format transforms from a performance to an installation.
Language
- English spoken language
- In the first half of the performance, an English text runs from the tape. The text is also available from printout (in English and German) from the beginning of the installation. You will also find a QR code to the text (in English and German) on the evening sheet.
Stage
- Reflective material is used on stage.
- Tallow powder is used on stage. The tallow is distributed in the room. Therefore, there may be contact with the tallow in some places.
Light
- The lighting situation in the audience is bright at the beginning. Then it slowly gets darker in the audience until the audience area is completely in the dark.
- Dimmed light is rather used on stage.
- Flickering light is used at one point.
- There is the use of blinding light.
- In places there are moments of complete darkness.
Sound
- The performance plays with intense sound. Loud and poppy music is used.
- From the second half of the performance onwards, bass-heavy sounds are used in places.
Other effects
- Fog is used.
- There are 2 small and one bigger screen on stage showing two different projections. The projections show repetitive movements.
- Göksu's co-performers change at each performance. So from the second half of the performance onwards, there may be varying effects in each show.
- At the premiere on 11 May, Haze will be used (during the co-performer's performance).
Audience area
- Seated grandstand on the left and right side of the room in three rows.
- 2 beanbag seats bookable according to availability
- 2 wheelchair places bookable according to availability
- At the beginning, the audience is addressed directly (response voluntary).
- After the performance Göksu serves drinks to the audience. Then the format transforms into an installation. During the installation, the audience can move freely through the space.
Early boarding
If, for artistic reasons, the door to the auditorium does not open until very shortly before the performance begins, there is the option of early boarding.
Tickets
- Reservations can be made via the ticket telephone at 030 283 52 66, Monday to Friday from 4pm-6pm
- Via the online ticket shop
- At the box office
You can also find more information about accessibility here.
Concept, Text, Installation Göksu Kunak PERFORMANCE Göksu Kunak with FRZNTE (on May 11), Andrés Sanjuan (on May 13) and Tischa “THE TIGRESS” (on May 14) Dramaturgy Isabel Gatzke Sound LABOUR Costume Nagi Gianni Light Design Annegret Schalke Producer Florian Greß
A production by Göksu Kunak in co-production with SOPHIENSÆLE. Funded by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds. The research phase was supported by FREISCHWIMMEN as part of the program "Verbindungen fördern", funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media through the program of the Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste e.V. Media partner: King Kong Magazine, taz. die tageszeitung.
Göksu Kunak (Ankara, 1985) is an artist, researcher and writer based in Berlin. Kunak’s interest lies especially in chronopolitics and hybrid texts that deal with the performative lingo(s) of contemporary lifestyles as well as non-Western/unorthodox dramaturgies. As a non-native English writer, their texts play with multilingualism and syntax. Influenced by Arabesk culture and late modernities, Göksu imagines new situations out of real encounters that point out the problematics of hetero-patriarchal structures. Orientalism, self-Orientalization (the perception of the “Eastern”, and how the Eastern sees themselves through this construction), as well as camouflage, self-censorship and science fiction are other interests of Kunak. Recently Kuank has been working on score-based performances and installations that focus on simulacrum and muscle as an object, body-as-sculpture.
In 2023, funded by the Haupstadkulturfonds and Freischwimmen, they performed Ajaib Mahluqat (Acayip Mahlukat) co-produced by Sophiensæle. Previously, they exhibited their solo exhibitons Dhikr at Number1MainRoad Berlin and Bygone Innocence at Pilevneli Gallery Istanbul, both curated by Léon Kruijswijk. Kunak performed at Performa Biennial NYC, Neue Nationalgalerie, Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, De Singel Arts Center, Kaaitheather, Akademie der Künste Lab of Contested Space curated by Junge Akademie, The Parliament of Bodies as a part of Bergen Assembly 2019.