Marynka is involved in The International Women's Day project called WOMEN IN PARADISE . March 8, each year is International Women's Day and sinds 2005 Marynka was instrumental in organizing and programming a festival on this day in Amsterdam . From 2006 this was held at the Paradiso, where it will also be held March 8, 2009 for the 4th time.
DANIIL KHARMS ANNIVERSARY PROJECT
Multimedia performance by Marynka Nicolai & Isidora.
This is a video and theater performance, including live music and vocal presentation. There is also 15 minuts short film version.
Synopsis:
The backing film for the performance is based on short stories written by Russian absurdist writer Daniil Kharms. This film is an absurdist, spontaneous, colorful and humorous attempt to adapt images from Daniil Kharms’ stories into a short piece. A few of the images included from these stories are: The constant use of food and people sitting and eating; the irony of eating in unmannered ways during soviet times following the age of aristocrasy where meals were very mannered; the loneliness of man while the world spins around him; Kharms’ view of women as objects (in this case butterflies and ballerinas dancing for him); Kharms and his Sherlock Holmes fixation; the absurdness of using the toilet (in a sort of 1920’s soviet style stinky, smelly scene), a story where a man went from a dirty hard life in one city where he was mean and brutal to everyone, then moving to another city where he gets work as a tailor of women’s underwear.
The performance in front of the film on the stage incorporates the creative method of “fluid thinking”, one of the main basic principles of Russian dadaïst group OBERRIU, which included Daniil Kharms.
The live performance is also inspired by the stories of Kharms, again reflecting the absurdity of daily life, social relations and Kharms’ attitude towards women. The musicians and stage performers are costumed as in the film and in some cases are the same people, adding to the “fluid thinking” approach and increasing the dimensionality and enhancing the storyline.
The basic musical line up includes Marynka on the piano and Maxim Shaposhnikov with prepared sounds and loops. Marynka recites original Kharms text, which together with video is the reference point for the performers.
Marynka and Max wrote the music for a wonderful and educational documentary film about death and grief in the lives of Deaf and Mute youth. MIke mixed the project. The strong emotions and feelings and subsequent emotional growth shown by the kids in this film is amazing.