Chewing the Scenery 2011

In 2011 Andrea Thal – former facilitator of the artist-led space Les Complices* in Zurich – was invited to curate the official Swiss off-site project at the 54th Venice Biennale 2011. The concept Andrea brought together – under the banner Chewing the Scenery – was a community of people working within film, music, theatre and theory to contemplate and play with post-colonial and queer discourses on identity and temporality. As she pieced together the exhibition I was thrilled to be invited to join this collective of misfits to help devise a live music programme as one-third of the MOTHER team led by Dafne Boggeri and Noga Inbar.
Although I cannot possibly communicate all the sounds, sights and sensations of the many warm wonderful days I spent in and around the Teatro Fondamenta Nuove on the Venetian lagooon, here at least is a peek behind the scenes and below a mixtape of what it might have sounded like along with some of my personal musings.
“No Future / No Past“
The centerpiece of the exhibition is Pauline Boudry and Renate Lorenz’s film “No Future / No Past” played continuously on a screen dominating the space. An imagined punk archive between 1976 – 2031. No punk future, no punk past. Calling on Vivienne Dick, The X, Darby Crash, Poly Styrene, Joey Ramone and Alice Bag. Ridiculous. Dsytopian. Ginger smashes the guitar to bits. More on Pauline and Renate’s work can be found on their website.
MOTHER presents…

MOTHER’s contributions were the most ephemeral. We invited first Mary Ocher from Berlin to join us in June. Then in September came Vera November from London, Maya Dunietz from Tel Aviv and Alona Rodeh from Tel Aviv. Together they brought moments that lingered and temporary collaborations that sparkled. Completely unpredictable. So typical. Find out more about MOTHER. .
The Publication

Then there is this bit with the longest timeline, started before the exhibition doors opened and completed only after the end of it all. Edited by Anna Frei and Georg Rutishauser and the only remnant left now. A constant reworking of the themes – contemplative chewing and regurgitation within a single publication in three separate editions. Available from the publisher edition fink.
The Soundtrack
The last and mostly totally unrelated part of the whole thing – a love letter in sound based on memories of moments now passed. It sounded like this, I think. It’s all a bit queer. Wish you had been there.
- Beth Anderson – Country Time
- Cold Dogs In The Courtyard – Video Is Not Art
- Club Tango – Get The Picture
- Judy Nylon & Crucial – Live In A Lift
- Klack Klack – 1919
- Kate Fagan – I Don’t Wanna Be Too Cool
- Covergirl – Paris Burns
- LiLiPUT – Do You Mind My Dream
- Rhythm King And Her Friends – Frankie
- MEN – Who Am I to Feel So Free
- Lizzy Mercier Descloux – Fire
- Mary Ocher – Address Yourself
- Austra – Beat And The Pulse
- Planningtorock – Living It Out
- tUnE-yArDs – My Country
- Trash Kit – Cadets
- This Beat is Lezbotronik – This Beat is Lezbotronik
- No Bra – Munchausen
- Inflatable Boy Clams – I’m Sorry
Yay! This sounds like a wonderful project and time. Even more of a yay! for a new mix from you. Listening to it right away!
next TBD’C “of nearly tuesday” mixtape link it will be yours :))) !!!