Ajaib Mahluqat Music by LABOUR | 2023
Sophiensaele

For this piece, the concept of Taqiyya in Islam is at the center of a deeper understanding of camouflage: a hypercamouflage in the sense of merging with a character; of gender as camouflage; hiding in niches and camouflage as protection. In this text-based performance, the images and movement patterns of the creatures from the 13th century Persian cosmology book Acayip Mahlukat emerge in a sci-fi imaginary realm and are complemented by motifs from the speculative non-fiction "Cyclonopedia" by Reza Negarestani. From a speculative perspective on the Middle East, Göksu Kunak thereby makes references to Southwest Asian politics, (in)visibility and (un)veiling, pornography, time and decay.

The original electronic music score features compositional techniques of masking and revealing, and situates Kunak’s voice-over monologue in a strange environment of natural sounds and serene or anodyne keyboard music. The voice is delicately processed beyond recognition for moments of sonic intensity. The middle section of the work additionally included playback of track fragments such as Muschi Muschi and Slut G4ng by DBBD & Miss Bashful, My Barn My Rules by MCR-T & horsegiirL, Abortion by Deli Girls and Satan was a Babyboomer by Brutalismus 3000.