Nazanin Noori 'A LETTER TO EUROPE'

The interdisciplinary artist Nazanin Noori (* 1991, Wiesbaden) presents the Berlin premiere of A LETTER TO EUROPE. The spoken word opera is based on a poem by the poet and playwright Athena Farrokhzad (* 1983, Tehran) and deals with migration, borders and displacement in today's Europe. Fragments from Let us believe in the beginning of the cold season by the poet Forugh Farrokhzad (* 1935 in Tehran) run through the performance as a poetic refrain. The work combines voice, percussion and electronics with a score by Noori together with musician Andrea Belfi (* 1979, Verona).

Based on the structure of a wedding, the performance brings together the Iranian classical singer Samin Ghorbani, two spoken word performers (Kate Strong and Noori herself) and the two percussionists Andrea Belfi and Ludwig Wandinger. Alternating between spoken word and vocals, the work mirrors the movement of the poems between affective and political registers, while the percussionists establish a counter-structure of rhythm and control. The electronic score adds another layer, reminiscent of the rigid frameworks of institutional systems.

Based on the myth of Europa from Greek mythology, the work translates themes such as collective coercion and contested social affiliation into a scenic arrangement. The mythological reference functions as a structural parallel rather than a narrative illustration and locates Farrokhzad's critique of Europe in a longer history of forced migration and asymmetrical power relations.