The Sirens
Sound installation, 9:39 min, 2010 (English version 2016)
Supergirl is slim, attractive, sporty, well-groomed, blond, endearing, kind, charming and full of joie de vivre. Superguy is tall, slim, sporty, a non-smoker, romantic, financially independent and has a great sense of humour.
The spoken piece for four voices is made from wishes and descriptions from personal ads in a German newspaper: Two female voices describe how women see themselves and how men wish them to be; two male voices describe how men see themselves and how women want them to be. From their interweaving voices our current ideals gradually develop, showing what we believe about the way men and women should look, be and behave.
The piece is spoken in a monotonous machine-like rhythm.
Male voices, demo, 0:42 min
Female voices, demo, 0:42 min
Excerpt from the libretto
Credits
Recording and editing: Sven Blessing, TV-Werk Munich
Speakers:
Male voices: Richard Peters (English version), Paul Zenger (German version)
Female voices: Michaela Adams (English version), Simona Kuhar (German version)