Yila and Friends @ NAC
Totally engaging, beautiful and thought-provoking.
Walking into the auditorium last night at Norwich Arts centre gave away few clues as to what to expect. Transparent drapes had created 'a Box' of walls ensconcing the performance area. Projected light allowed us, 'the audience', to see in, but what exactly was it that we were about to see?
As Dom Harwood (AKA 'toot!') sat himself on the floor to perform the support set, we are still unsure what to expect. As his rhythmic electronic soundscapes roam through mechanical, pastoral and natural we are immersed in the sound, detached from the performer, yet strangely voyeuristic at the same time.
And perhaps that is what Yila is aiming for with this show. Still a work in progress, but performed here as a result of Norwich Arts Centre's involvement with Arts Council East's 'Escalator' scheme, Souvenir is a performance piece about memories. Whilst Yila and his talented ensemble of musicians and singers remain within 'the box', the tangible chattels of memory – the photographs, the videos, the prose, the e-mails and the text messages are all projected from the walls and are shared with the audience. The result is a mesmerising mix of music, poetry, spoken word and video. The projections and the lighting add an extra dimension to the performers as they fade in and out of view. At one point they do connect with the outside – a 'flashmob' community choir in the audience sings back a refrain about old age and memory loss – 'The lights are on but there's nobody home'.
The sense of detachment creates only the occasional awkward moment. Are we expected to applaud at the end of each sequence? The pauses leave us shuffling our feet slightly. In the end, we save our appreciation until the end, when the entire troupe emerge into the auditorium to take their bows.
Totally engaging, beautiful and thought-provoking. A perfect performance piece for an arts festival. Are you listening NNF?
