Usually, adults sing lullabies to children. In his immersive and poetic musical performance Nation of Sleep, Ari Benjamin Meyers reverses this situation: part of the audience is invited to lie down and have an individual experience. Children from Graz soothe spectators in one-on-one encounters, encouraging them to relax and sleep in a world they could not prevent from falling apart. As it appears, the youngest generation might have to make sacrifices the preceding generations should have made for a brighter future.
The performance explores the metaphoric potential of sleep in uncertain, sleepless times and facilitates an atmospheric encounter between generations revolving around dreams, nightmares, fears of the future, and feelings of helplessness. Featuring a newly commissioned monologue by Tom McCarthy, Nation of Sleep invites the audience to collectively contemplate the challenges of our times and opens up a space for a symbolic wake-up call.
Concept, composition, prologue text: Ari Benjamin Meyers Text: Tom McCarthy With: Bláthin Eckhardt, Hugo Le Brigand, Rudi Widerhofer, and the 2M and 3M classes of Volksschule Graz–St. Peter Choir direction: Silvia Sammer and Fabian Schwarz Artistic adviser: Anja Lindner
With special thanks to the parents of classes 2M and 3M of Volksschule Graz–St. Peter
The artist thanks his daughter Pearl.
Commissioned and produced by steirischer herbst ’24
In cooperation with Volksschule Graz–St. Peter, With the kind support of Bears in the Park Art Space Vienna
© Johanna Lamprecht
