Ursonate
Sound Poem by Kurt Schwitters
Thu / Feb 6, 2020 - 8:30PM
A rare reading of Kurt Schwitters’ seminal sound poem
Artists
- Eliza Bagg
- Jarina de Marco
- CJ Miller
- Gavlyn
- Shannon Grayson
- Jennie Liu
- Brit Manor
- Odeya Nini
- Dez'Mon Omega Fair
- Reverie
- Zoe Aja Moore, director
About this Performance
It took artist Kurt Schwitters ten years to write the epic sound poem Ursonate, a sonata in “primordial sound.” As with his famed visual collages, Schwitters’ poem breaks down language to its constituent parts and reassembles them to find new meaning in the seemingly irrational. For more than 90 years, the work has inspired visual artists, composers, choreographers, and musicians. Join director Zoe Aja Moore and special guests as they stage a rare reading of the seminal piece, which places Schwitters’ primal sounds into a diverse assembly of bodies and voices.
Presented in collaboration with Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater | REDCAT
Programs, artists, dates, prices, and availability subject to change. Ticket limits may apply. All sales are final.
Watch & Listen
video
Kurt Schwitters - Ursonate - Complete Poem (with Verses Displayed)
FEB 6–29 • 2 PROGRAMS, 12 EVENTS
The Weimar Republic
Germany 1918–1933
In the 1920s, Germany saw a remarkable cultural renaissance prior to the rise of Nazism. Intellectualism and modernism took root in the chaotic social and economic climate between world wars. The arts and sciences burst with imagination, queer identities were brought to the forefront, and the lines between high and low art were erased. Join in a wide-ranging look at this fascinating, turbulent time.
Max Beckmann, Paris Society, 1931. Oil on canvas, 43 x 69 1/8 inches (109.2 x 175.6 cm). Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. © 2019 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn.