Music off - the cassette revolution

Based on the personal story of a Kurdish man from Duhok in northern Iraq, who listened to and circulated Kurdish music that was banned under Saddam Hussein’s regime, »Music Off« explores the subversive power of music. This hybrid performance and installation examines music as a carrier of memory and cultural identity, while also exploring it as an expression of repression and resistance.

Analogue cassette recorders from the 1980s come together with voices, sounds, music, and silence to create an immersive soundscape. Through the interplay of sound space, performance, and physical movement, the piece explores how music can express identity, memory, and resistance, and how cultural traces can be preserved and passed on.

World premiere: January 23, 2027