Forcing the Impossible

Thursday 25 August, 20:00–21:00
Arken, Tehtaankatu 2

Många Röster – Many Voices

Composed by Frank Berger
Lyrics by Karin Boye (1942)

Poetry declamation:
Nanuli Silagadze (Post-doctoral Researcher at Samforsk, Åbo Akademi University)

Music:
Lotta Ahlbeck (violin), Frank Berger (vocals, hurdy-gurdy), Marika Kivinen (vocals), Olli E. Liljeström (bass)

Fire show and acrobatics:
Street Theatre VIR

The performance was created with inspiration from a discussion between Nanuli Silagadze and Frank Berger. This collaboration originated with “Forcing the Impossible“, a multidisciplinary research project combining science and art. Silagadze’s research on democratic processes has inspired Berger’s artistic work that has resulted in a piece of music called Många röster – Many voices. The composition accentuates democracy and dictatorship. It contains improvisation and other elements that play important roles within a democratic system.

Frank Berger

I have many passions in life. I’m a vocal coach and a theologian, but I also work as a composer, actor and artist. The last few years I have become more and more appreciative of how folk music and its deep roots gives us and all our experiences space to breathe and exist. Composing music myself, I’m drawn to strong melodies, brave jumps between styles, and deep, multifaceted foundations where the listener can find new ways of allowing the song to be sung within themselves.

Nanuli Silagadze

I am a post-doctoral researcher at Samforsk, The Social Science Research Institute at Åbo Akademi University. I hold a PhD in Political Science. My main research interests include democratic innovations and political behaviour. Besides academic endeavors, I am a fitness devotee, meditator, salsa dancer and a dog lover.

Street Theatre VIR

“Vir” is a community of people united by their interest in carnival culture. They became not just amateurs, but turned into real artists who go out and perform for everyone. The theater’s repertoire includes performances with a dramatic plot, which the audience calls “good fairy tales”, and fun productions with stilt walkers, jugglers and fakirs.