Ecstasy and sadness, loneliness and connectedness, shame and recognition, powerlessness and strength: how do these ambiguous feelings express in our bodies and in music? Zwiespalt is intimate, personal and raw and leaves the viewer in constant tension in search of the expressions of an emotional struggle under the skin.
Zwiespalt evokes associations about the exposition of feelings and about being viewed, but not being seen. The power of the combination of music and dance lies in the emotional layering, which offers room for nuance and depth. Tegest's special ability to put into perspective darker themes, draws the audience into the performance. Fragile and euphoric sounds resonate in Merijn's music, made with manipulated recordings of a viola d'amore (a precursor to the viola) and a mellotron (a precursor of the sampler).