Swan Songs

Most days I stare at the ceilingThinking of all the things I could strip awayand still tell the same story. To not forget my body I trace it onto the mattress with a marker.It took me a long time to tell my mother the source of my nightmares.I tried to shut my brain with my bare hands.Squeeze the air out.Stab a knife through my forehead. I don’t think I have a choice.But to return to the place I thought I had escaped. Tonight I will play for you, my nightmaresBecause maybe, if we are in them together,They will move their place in this world. Swan Songs is a musical and visual performance about what it means to protest when your body no longer keeps pace with the rhythm of public space. Inspired by Johanna Hedva’s Sick Woman Theory and old protest songs, a universe unfolds — blending opera, technology and dance — in which the sick body itself becomes a political arena. Schwander explores how documenting illness can be a form of resistance, based on the idea that protest is often internalised and invisible.------------------------------------ >>> This performance is part of highlight For Real.Performing Arts Festival focusing on new technology30CC Leuven, NTGent and Cultuurcentrum Brugge are proud to present For Real, a brand-new touring festival that brings together three cities and three theatres to explore new technologies in the performing arts.,