Searching for Solidarity

DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT:

Conductor Sean Palmer and The Experimental Choir Gre Badanie present the third edition of the 24hr musical performance project entitled ‘Searching for Solidarity’. The round the clock ‘happening’ is a rare chance to celebrate the anniversary of the exceptionally important 21 August Demands and is an event which resonates with the energy of a small festival of ’Solidarity’.

Using the UNESCO ‘Memory of the World Program’ document “The 21 Demands” (formed by the Inter-factory Strike Committee (MKS) during nationwide strikes in 1980) the choir Gre Badanie create a detailed, live composed and spontaneous piece of music with 22 movements entitled “Szukając Solidarności / Searching for Solidarity”.

The action will start on the 27th of August at 16:00 and finish on the 28th at the same hour. Throughout these 24hrs (day and night) each of the demands is given a 60 min slot. During this time a chosen composer is responsible for the composition, arrangement, rehearsing and conducting of the final performance. After 60mins the process begins again with a new demand, picked randomly, and new composer.

This year we are collaborating with numerous artists during the project, who are invited for join for a specific hour, but can stay as long as they wish. These are international vocalists, musicians and composers. Thanks to this, the final product is multidimensional and surprising.

Each performance is both presented to an audience and streamed live on the internet. The complete set of demand concerts are are then edited together to form a single film. This year the film will be shown on the 31st of August at Dom Spotkań z Historią in Warsaw alongside a debate regarding the role of the demands today.

The entire 24hrs is streamed live allowing viewers to observe the various creation processes employed by in-house and invited guests, as well as the tangible effect of passing time and lack of sleep.

Join us! Either live in Warsaw at Dom Spotkań z Historią or non-stop on- line for 24 hrs, 27th-28th August 16:00-16:00.

We won’t sleep just as those who formulated the 21 Demands also sacrificed sleep for progress. We’re Searching for Solidarity just as those who joined forces in search of a unity and common goal, regardless of their individual beliefs. 

INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Experimental Choir Gre Badanie is a new vocal work started by Sean Palmer. Based in Warsaw (Poland), comprised of talented vocal artists and singers from wildly various vocal disciplines. Working, training and performing together to explore the connection between us, as vocal beings, and our urban/rural environment. The choir perform under the name 'Gre Badanie' - which has Polish grammatical allusions to 'playful research' but in fact has little meaning. The idea was to adopt a name which echoes our approach to vocal work and grows in significance along side the choir. Our work is based on the paralleled exploration of mark-making, vocal scribbling, graphic scores and abstract forms of notating music and more traditional approaches to choral practice and voice work. We take inspirations everywhere, from everything, in any way, on any way, from anyone and anything that makes a noise... or not. Gre Badanie are eclectic. And we like to perform, a lot.