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ENSEMBLE
The sōydivision Ensemble is a sub-entity of the Soydivision Collective, an artist group dedicated to the development of experimental theater music. This constellation was formed in 2018 under the direction of Ariel William Orah, following the execution of the collective's inaugural and longest-running showcase series, "Soy&Synth."
The core concept behind the ensemble is to translate the composition process of theater music into a dynamic live performance, fostering interactions with various other art forms such as culinary arts, cinema, light installations, wayang (shadow puppetry), radionovela (radio drama), and more. The musical output prominently reflects influences from non-Western music traditions and sound practices, seamlessly blending with contemporary sound techniques such as concrete music, acousmatic music, and experimental electronic music. The element of storytelling holds significant importance for the ensemble, as it serves as a means to initiate dialogues and empathy on themes related to diaspora, identity and activism.
In 2019, the ensemble staged “Empathy Supper” at the KW Institute for Contemporary Art and embarked on an European and Indonesian tour afterwards. In 2020, they showcased their music theater piece titled "Nur-Hin Trilogy" as part of the CTM & Transmedialle Festival Vorspiel 2020. The next iteration "Nur-Hin Trilogy" (2021) was presented at the 48std Neukölln Festival, KAUM Performance&Film Festival, and Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart.
In 2022, the ensemble premiered "Aryati," a musical theater piece that chronicles the decolonization process of keroncong music from the 1920s to the 1990s, evolving from a colonial product to a celebrated indigenous cultural heritage. This production was made possible with the support of Haupstadtkulturfonds. Additionally, in the same year, they introduced "KIAMAT Musical," a multisensory theater piece co-directed by Rabih Beaini and funded by Musikfonds e.V. Their most recent creation, "Tanamantra," has been showcased in venues including Pforzheim PF, Documenta Fifteen Kassel, and Hebbel am Ufer (HAU1) Berlin.
The ensemble has also diligently documented their work across various mediums, spanning from vinyl records to Augmented Reality audiobooks, often in collaboration with their sister Berlin-based sonic entity, L_KW.
Selected performances and theater piece
Orba-Orla , Motif Berlin 2018
“Grau und Mono” Ausufern Festival Uferstudio 2018
“Grau und Mono 2” Mosaique Kulturhaus Lüneburg 2018
“Kelesah”, KW Institute of Contemporary Art Berlin 2019
“Subliminal Scarcity”
in collaboration with Borghildur Indriðadóttir and Motif, KW Institute of Contemporary Art Berlin 2019“Kelamin” - Das Provisorium Zurich 2019
“OKNUM - JANJI”, Indonesien Kulturhaus Berlin 2019
“Relax, it’s just religion” , Crystal Palace London 2019
“Peroni”, Idea Box Vilnius - Lithuania 2019
“Kelamin 2” - Mosaique Internationale Musik Festival, Mosaique Kulturhaus Lüneburg 2019
AKIN , in collaboration with Miyake Dance Company -Theresa Lekberg, Riako Napitupulu, Samaquias Lorta- Somos Arthouse Berlin 2019
Nur-Hin Trilogy 1 “TIBA”, ACUD Theater Berlin 2020
Nur-Hin Trilogy 2 “TINGGAL”, Motif Berlin 2020
Nur-Hin Trilogy 3 “KEMBALI”, Studio DB Berlin 2020
“OKNUM” - Garuda 2020
“Tana Sadji” at Hamburger Bahnhof Museum Berlin
“GAUNG” - Ballhaus Naunynstraße 2021,2022
“ARYATI” - Uferstudios 2022
“KIAMAT” - Morphine Raum/Indonesian Culture Haus 2022
“Tanamantra Satu” - Pforzheim PF 2022
“Tanamantra Dua” - Dokumenta Fifteen Kassel 2022
“Tanamantra Tiga” - Uferstudios 2022
“Indomie”, Celestial Festival 2022 Berlin
“Ketika Kelana Kelak”, Aleste Porto, Portugal
“Tanamantra Empat”, HAU1 Fonds Darstelende Künste, 2023
“Suarantau”, Tantente St Polten Festival Austria, 2023
“Empathy Supper (x) impuls”, Impuls Festival Leipzig, 2023
AKKULTURASA,Uferstudios Berlin, 2023
Amplifikasi, part of “Stepping on each other’s feet”, SAAVVY Contemporary, 2024
Impressions
NUR-HIN from soydivision on Vimeo.
ACUD Theater Berlin, CTM Transmediale Vorspiel 2020