"Lauschen" at Iklectik

A performance of "Lauschen" at Iklectik, London, UK

Lauschen is a performance work by Iris Garrelfs for improvised voice, environment and listening cones. It was originally devised in 2016 specifically for Lausch II at Lewisham Art House, London, UK as a series curated by Rahel Kraft, but has since been performed elsewhere.

Lauschen is a German term, meaning “close listening” or “eavesdropping”. The performance uses listening cones as a device to re-orient an audience’s listening experience and open new aural perspectives. The audience/performer divide is also blurred as the performer uses no stage but moves freely amongst the auditorium.

“Lauschen” also exploring live improvised voice and lo-fi electronics. This comes in form of a small speaker that is worn on the body “by which sound is re-combined with body, re-focusing schizophonic experience” (Tahiroğlu et al., in press).