Strange Birds
Strange Birds is a contemporary, multi-media, chamber opera by Joe Diebes. Set thousands of years into the future, it features a distant human community which, through the mechanisms of technological evolution, has dispensed with human language and taken on the attributes of birds. Free from psychological drama these future people communicate using a vocabulary of lyrical gestures inspired by birdcalls and songs. Swirling around them is a rich electronic score of shifting textures and evocative atmospheres.
Though these strange birds remain spatially separated and immobile over the course of the piece, their virtual counterparts interact inside a multi-screen video-scape created by Jeff Sugg. Here they re-enact their foundational myth an abstract narrative at once enigmatic and universal. The performance surrounds the audience, providing an immersive environment in which to reflect on the essential nature of communication, language and social behaviour in a world increasingly mediated by technology. The cast features Galienne Eriksen (soprano), Vielka Kelly (mezzo-soprano), Daniel Neer (tenor), and John Rose (baritone).
Joe Diebes creates works that converge around the categories of opera, sound installation and conceptual art. He was the musical force behind the New York performance and art company GAle GAtes from 1996-2003. Other collaborations include George Coates, The Living Theatre and Mad Dog. He is currently developing a new opera installation, i/o. His collaborator, Jeff Sugg is based in New York and is co-founder of the installation/performance company Transmission Projects with whom he has co-created and designed, The Collapsible Giraffe (lighting), The San Francisco Mime (set and slides) and The Pig Iron Theatre Company (sets and lighting). His theatre production work includes: The Wooster Group (technical artist), GAle GAtes (effects designer/engineer), Dennis Cleveland at Lincoln Center (projection system designer/engineer). Music design includes his collaborations with composer Joe Diebes.