Photos and text by Zoe Valls at Flickr
Reviews at Chondritic Sound Forum
Date: 30 November - 2 December 2012
Venue: Arnolfini, Bristol
Produced by: Sound and Music in partnership with Arnolfini, Tusk Music, Harbinger Sound, Second Layer Records and The Live Art Development Agency
A three-day series of performances, talks and more devoted to the legacy of the Swiss performance group Schimpfluch.
Founded in Zurich in 1987, Rudolf Eb.er created Schimpfluch, a platform for extreme and outsider artists and the generation of highly disturbing and irritating audio/visual works. Gradually expanding to the Schimpfluch-Gruppe art-collective, Eb.er and Joke Lanz have since channelled grotesque humour into an ongoing series of confrontational radio broadcasts, physically demanding performances, 'abreaction plays' and 'psycho-physical tests and trainings'.
Rejecting any given norm and genre, tearing down mental barriers, unlocking all gates to the nether regions of the human psyche, their celebrated work aims to unlock an awareness of existence and encourages the audience to 'get off the plane of miseducated adulthood'.
The Extreme Rituals carnival is a long-overdue retrospective and a celebration of Schimpfluch. Through an extensive programme will highlight the influence Schimpfluch has had since the late 80s, with audiences treated to a selection of performances, sound-installations, films, photographs and contextualising panel discussions. Alongside core Schimpfluch acts such as Runzelstirn and Gurgelstock, Sudden Infant, G*Park and Dave Phillips this carnival weekender features rare UK appearances by international guest artists such as Hijokaidan's Junko Hiroshige, GX Jupitter-Larsen, Phurpa and Vagina Dentata Organ.
WEEKEND PROGRAMME
Friday 30 November
11:00am - 4.30pm - Extreme Discussions
Panel discussions and talks exploring all things Schimpfluchian, including:
Ian McCormick: A Monster Observatory: Freaks, Monsters, The Grotesque and Carnivalesque in Literature, Media and The Arts
Gavin Butt: Industrial Sounds from The Post-Industrial North: Leeds Post-Punk Performance
Sound/Music/Noise in Performance Art: panel discussion featuring Ron Athey, Leif Elggren, Vicky Langan and Holly Ingleton, Chaired by Thomas John Bacon
Extreme History: The Story of The Schimpfluch-Gruppe: as told to Chris Sienko by Rudolf Eb.er, Joke Lanz and M. Vanci Stirnemann
Confrontational and Trangressive Strategies Within Noise Music: Artist's Viewpoints - panel discussion featuring Joke Lanz, GX Jupitter-Larsen, Mike Dando and Dave Phillips, Chaired by Chris Sienko plus special guest performances from Junko Hiroshige, Doreen Kutzke, Ute Waldhausen and Vicky Langan
7.30pm onwards, performances from:
Phurpa
Daniel Lowenbruck and Leif Elggren
The New Blockaders and GX Jupitter-Larsen
Dave Phillips
Bryan Lewis Saunders
Rudolf Eb.er and Junko Hiroshige (Hijokaidan)
Saturday 1 December
4.30pm - 6.30pm Extreme Yodelling vocal workshop and group performance led by Doreen Kutzke
6.30pm Extreme Yodelling performance
Extreme Yodelling is free to all Extreme Rituals ticketholders, capacity is limited so please inform the Arnolfini box office if you want to participate.
7.30pm onwards, performances by:
Trevor Wishart: Globalalia and Vocalise
Vicky Langan (Wolflinge)
Vagina Dentata Organ
Joachim Montessuis
Sudden Infant
Runzelstirn and Gurgelstøck
Sunday 2 December
2pm - 6pm, performances from:
Dave Phillips (field recording set)
Michael Barthel
G*Park
Joke Lanz and Ute Waldhausen
Alice Kemp
Christian Weber
Rashad Becker
GX Jupitter-Larsen, Rudolf Eb.er, Mike Dando, Joke Lanz present 'Wellenfeld - In Memory of Urs Schwaller'
Throughout the weekend:
Off stage performances by Alice Kemp
Intravenous, a installation by M. Vanci Stirnemann
Rarely seen Schimpfluch films
Schimpfluch photographic exhibition including work from Rudolf Eb.er and Joke Lanz
Schimpfluch Psychic Rally radiophonic sound installation
Fully stocked Second Layer Records merch stall with many hard to find Schimpfluch and related releases
