Photo by Olivia Faye
Songs Of Men (2022)
Songs of Men was a solo dance-performance for one singer/dancer about the internal struggles that come with changing patriarchal behaviors. Taking the form of a deconstructed concert, the show constantly shifted through different musical compositions, telling stories of troublesome actions by what might be men. The banter (the casual interactions a singer has with an audience between songs) drew out and extends into questions about insecurity, remorse and coming to terms.
Seeing the unwitnessed was one of the overarching themes of Songs of Men, repeating within the piece’s three major elements: the songs, that speak of problematic behaviors and emotions, the music, where the sounds and instruments regularly come apart and then together again, and the singer, who asks the audience to notice and reflect on unwitnessed behaviors that may be alive within themselves, regardless of gender or expression.
The initial desire for creating Songs of Men came from my unnerving feeling of being constantly surrounded by the ghosts of men, specifically those whose inability to positively engage with their oppressive emotions and manners lingers long after they’ve departed. It’s almost as if a mass haunting slowly appeared in everyone’s lives all at once, leaving everyone wondering how to deal with the collective situation about men.
Certain men’s denial of problematic feelings and manners have left many of us with troubling recollections of delusion, manipulation and oppression, as well as memories of anger, avoidance and shame. Yet despite this enduring discomfort with behaviors associated with patriarchal masculinity, Songs of Men wished to understand that humanity is deeply entrenched in oppressive tendencies and that perhaps a vital transformation path is in getting people to reexamine these habits of the heart. And, for those familiar with the music, that there are other people out there trying to find their truth.
You can watch the full performance by scrolling down bellow ⬇︎
Music, Performance, Scenography: Andrée Chapatte
Production: Niamh Moroney
Dramaturgy: Nathaniel Moore
Arrangement Support: Grib Borreman
Photography: Korneel De Feyter / Azahara Ubera
Supported by: Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie / Arts Council of Ireland / Artist Commons
Additional support by: Liminal / Hugo Mega / Caravan Productions
Thanks to: Naama, Llewelyn, and Meret for their valuable feedback leading up to the 2022 show.
Special thanks: The many Brussels based men's circles that inspired this process.
Songs of Men was essentially about people who identify as male in our society and the cultural legacy that is associated with them. Since this remains sensitive topic, I chose to address it by making a deconstructed concert - a show consisting of songs, music and movement with moments of audience interaction. It was almost like a very serious clown show with pop songs from the 21th century - where showing what is wrong with the ordinary allows for an ambiguous criticism of culture.
Though my intention wasn’t to make anyone feel a particular way, my goal was to create space - through song - for a deep and sincere reflection on difficult subjects such as internalised patriarchy and the history of western hegemonic masculinity. There was a lot of music material inspired by the different men's circles I've attended in Brussels. For example one of the songs is about a real experience with a sex positive workshop for (mostly) cishet men. We wanted to gather audiences who wished for hegemonic masculinity to be reclaimed and transformed into something else.
Photos by: Korneel De Feyter / Azahara Ubera
Video documentation by: Nathaniel Moore
A little bit about the photos: they were made by my awesome sister Olivia Faye during a tumultuous visit to see her in Florida during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Sneaking into this pool to make aquatic jugallo pictures is one of my all time favourite memories with her. ⬇︎♡
Research photos bellow made with my sister Olivia Faye.