Rapture and Rage. Studies in the authoritarian character

LIGNA

Germany

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A square seating arrangement. All the audience members listen to an individual soundtrack via headphones, which is synchronised with all the others. A loose chronology of historical constellations tells of moments of fascist rule, the aestheticization of politics and its subjectivation. In the light of current developments, the question of the appeal of authoritarian populist politics is raised. What moves, controls and manipulates the masses? The audience itself becomes the leading actor of a “radio ballet”, because its reactions to what it hears are part of a collective dynamic that ultimately takes people to the street.



The group LIGNA has existed since 1997 and consists of the media and performance artists Ole Frahm, Michael Hüners and Torsten Michaelsen. For the production Rapture and Rage they collaborated with the Bulgarian artist and actor Stephan A. Shtereff and the Sofia-based composer Emilyan Gatsov. Since 2002, LIGNA has been exploring the possibilities of collective action in shows, urban interventions and performative installations. The artists develop different models of media use that produce uncontrollable effects, which challenge the order of a space. Their work has won numerous international awards.