Adrian Laugsch: Stop Resisting
Short Description / Kurzbeschreibung
In early 2019, even before the current resurgence of the debate, a video depicting an incident of police brutality sparked international media coverage. The video showcased a mother being “taken down” by multiple police officers and forcibly separated from her child. In response, she struggled against the overwhelming police force. Amidst the chaotic scene, both bystanders and some of the officers could be heard shouting “Stop Resisting!” This phrase, through its monotonous repetition, not only acquired a macabre rhythmic-musical self-logic but also invoked weird associations with familiar Christian symbols and rituals, notably exorcism.
Building upon this premise, “Stop Resisting” appropriates and recontextualizes the foundational structure of exorcism into a multi-layered meta-ritual about various forms of violence. It encompasses a range of acoustic and visual associative layers, spanning from concrete elements like Bach’s cantata “Widerstehe doch der Sünde,” BDSM symbolism, as well as documentary video and audio clips of police violence, to more abstract references to Christian iconography and popular culture.
Interprets And Location / Interpreten und Ort
- Nuno Marques (electric guitar)
- Clara Saleiro (flute)
- Pablo Coello (saxophone)
- David Durán (keyboard)
- Haruna Takebe (keyboard)
- Pablo Paz (percussion)
- Diego Ventoso (percussion)
- Ana del Carmen Sánchez (violin)
- Vitor Vieira (violin)
- Francisco Caldeira (viola)
- Hugo Paiva (violoncello)
- Iván Ferrer-Orozco (electronics)
[Vertixe Sonora]. UA: 31/10/2021 @Vertixe 9 Festival/Auditorio Martín Códax/Vigo/Spain
Short Biography / Kurze Biographie
Adrian Laugsch (*1997) studied composition and music theory with Martin Schüttler, Hubert Moßburger and Brigitta Muntendorf at HMDK Stuttgart and HfMT Köln, where currently, he is studying electronic composition with Michael Beil.
Amongst an array of multifaceted interests, his artistic focus lies on the recontextualisation and defragmentation of historical, (auto)biographical and nostalgic material and its confrontation with digital, multimedia and theatrical strategies.
His works have been performed by renowned performers such as Ensemble Musikfabrik, Ensemble ascolta, JACK Quartet, Mivos Quartet and MDR Sinfonieorchester.
Adrian has been bestowed upon several prizes and awards: He won the 1st prize at the composition competition Osnabrück/Germany, the 2nd prize at the international Gustav Mahler composition competition Klagenfurt/Austria, the Wilfried-Steinbrenner scholarship and was artist in residence at Beethovenhaus Bonn, Fondation Royaumont and Gesellschaft Neue Musik Ruhr.
