Teatro Matita (SI): Harms je kriv!

Concert of Falling Grannies

"An old lady, overcome by excessive curiosity, leaned out the window, fell to the ground, and broke into pieces." There it is! Harms’ illogical machine. Smashing glasses, playing symphonies, unleashing tales, stories, and above all, misfortunes of one of the last torchbearers of the Russian avant-garde, Daniil Shardam Kharms Dandan Harmonius—or… whoever he may be.

Actor, puppeteer, and musician Matija Solce creates situational comedy through refined animation of soft, semi-realistic puppets, grotesque singing and acting passages, and virtuosic instrumental music. His work gently yet ironically delivers heavy contemporary themes and critiques all that in society leans toward conformity.

At the heart of the sound-and-stage setup is an original instrument made of multiple accordions, bellows, barrel organs, analog mechanisms, puppet parts, MIDI technology, and clocks without hands. This machine drives a tale of grannies, where atmospherically rich scenes spiral into sarcastic executions of tender characters, generating a constant contrast of moods and themes.

The audience witnesses the thrilling emergence of a visual, sonic, and figurative illusion and its continual deconstruction, as associative comic fragments crescendo toward the artist's downfall. Harms died of starvation in prison, accused of “anti-Soviet activity.” In his hometown, a mural dedicated to him was removed in 2022—without any apparent reason. Harms is guilty! Of nothing.

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koncert padajočih babic

“Neka starka se je spričo prehude radovednosti prekucnila skozi okno, padla na tla in se polomila.” Imamo ga! Harmsov nelogični stroj. Razbija kozarce, igra simfonije, sproža povedke, zgode in predvsem nezgode enega zadnjih nosilcev ruske avantgarde, Daniila Šardama Kharmsa Dandana Harmoniusa ali… kogarkoli že.

Igralec, lutkar in glasbenik Matija Solce s prefinjeno animacijo mehkih, delno realističnih lutk, z grotesknimi pevskimi in igralskimi pasažami ter z virtuozno instrumentalno glasbo ustvarja situacijsko komiko, ki na ironičen in nežen način sporoča težke teme sedanjega časa in kritizira vse, kar v družbi stremi k ustaljenosti.

Osrednji scensko-zvočni element je originalni inštrument, sestavljen iz več harmonik, mehov in lajn, analognih mehanizmov, delov lutk, midi tehnologije in ur brez kazalcev. Na njem se odvijajo zgodba o starkah, ki se iz atmosfersko bogatih prizorov sprevržejo v sarkastične eksekucije nežnih karakterjev, ustvarjajoč neprestan kontrast razpoloženj in tem.

Občinstvo je priča vznemirljivemu vznikanju vizualne, zvočne in figurativne iluzije ter njeni neprestani dekonstrukciji, medtem ko se asociativni komični fragmenti stopnjujejo v poraz umetnika. Harms je umrl zaradi lakote v zaporu, obtožen ‘proti sovjetskega delovanja’. V njegovem rojstnem kraju so leta 2022 odstranili njegov mural. Takrat brez očitnega razloga. Harms je kriv! Za nič.

Matija Solce - performer