Turn Turtle Turn

"How did it come to this?" In the geological age of the Anthropocene and its man-made crises, Oblivia poses this question as the starting point for their new piece, which will be premiered as part of the Munich Biennale 2024 at the Stadtbibliothek im HP8. Once again, the Finnish artists' collective is approaching the major themes of humanity in their work, which they tackle with subtle humor in text fragments, movement and new music. For Oblivia, the rooms of the library are a place where arguments, dreams, documents and stories overlap. This is where past thoughts meet present interpretations - this is where everything could change. Together with three local singers and the twelve-piece ensemble ö! under the direction of Francesc Prat, the four performers from Oblivia create a grandiose tableau in "Turn Turtle Turn": they meander playfully and pointedly between dino-age and adventure stories, between the Ice Age and parallel worlds, prehistoric geography and our hunt for fossil fuels. Sometimes close, sometimes seemingly completely adrift, "Turn Turtle Turn" is a search for traces of the status quo of humanity between ongoing (self-)destruction and persistent hope.

Composition: Yiran Zhao / Concept, direction, dramaturgy, texts: OBLIVIA / Musical direction: Francesc Prat / Costumes: Tua Helve / Lighting design & set design: Meri Ekola / Sound direction: Zoro Babel

Performers (Oblivia): Timo Fredriksson, Anna-Maija Terävä, Annika Tudeer, Juha Valkeapää

Singers: Fee Suzanne de Ruiter, Harald Hieronymus Hein, Lukas Siebert

Ensemble ö!: David Sontòn Caflisch (violin, artistic director), Clara Giner (flute), Marc Bonastre Rui (oboe), Branko Mlikota (clarinet), Adrian Albaladejo Diaz (trombone), Dino Georgeton (percussion), Asia Ahmetjanova (piano), Sofiia Suldina (violin), Maria Kropotkina (viola), Martina Brodbeck (cello), Daniel Sailer (double bass)

A co-production of the Munich Biennale, Oblivia and Ensemble ö!, in cooperation with the Munich City Library and other partners