Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, 2023

Kayīb is a sound performance based on forbidden songs, the entangled methods of oil and voice extraction, and histories of charlatanism. Through a series of hypnotic and repetitive sonic movements, the performance by Andrius Arutiunian unfolds as a complex interplay of multiple illicit voices. From mystics in Paris such as G.I.Gurdjieff to Emperor Haile Salassie’s fascination with Armenian musicians, the performance is a study of the chance encounters between historical and musical figures. Kayīb departs from Arutiunian’s recent series of works based on gharīb – the notion of strangeness manifesting through musical and political peripheries.

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